From the very beginning of the NFL season, the New England Patriots seemed like a lock to either win the Super Bowl, or at least play in it. They started dropping meteorites on opponents, proverbially ending games in the third quarter against Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and others. They seemed unstoppable and there was virtually no point in betting on anyone else from the AFC.

Nothing’s changed, even after a brutal loss last Sunday to the Eagles in which mistakes plagued a usually disciplined New England team. The Pats are still the +200 favorite to win the AFC, the second-favorite in Super Bowl odds and are receiving nearly three-quarters of the backing this weekend for Sunday Night Football against Houston. Everybody is still behind Tom and Bill, and the universe seems as on track as it ever was.

There is – obviously – a big problem.

Teams that have clinched a playoff spot towards the end of the season have one of two choices to make: they can either keep things full throttle and continue to take care of business, or they can administer a conservative approach to afford some rest for their players. It’s a strange rendition of the “fight or flight” mechanism in response to the pressure of the playoffs.