The New England Patriots are undoubtedly the greatest dynasty in modern NFL history. With six Lombardis in their trophy case, it is tough to pick which year can be considered the franchise’s greatest. In this feature, we make the argument on why their 2016 campaign takes the cake.

No Brady, no problem

New England had to start their season without Tom Brady for the first four games due to his alleged participation of intentionally deflating balls in their 2014 AFC Championship meeting with the Indianapolis Colts. Fortunately for the Patriots, backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett were more than willing to contribute to the Patriots’ cause.

Garoppolo showed the world what he is capable of in his first NFL start in Week 1 on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. Garoppolo was as calm as one could be, completing 73 percent of his attempts for 264 yards and a touchdown pass to his credit to lead his Patriots to a 23-21 victory.

Garoppolo’s fine play continued at home in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, passing for three touchdowns to help New England build a 24-0 lead. Unfortunately, a big hit by Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso caused Garoppolo to injure his shoulder and miss the New England's next contests.

This enabled Brissett to take over the quarterback duties for the next two games. 

Needless to say, Garoppolo and Brissett did a fine job without Brady, as the Patriots posted a 3-1 record.

A model of consistency

New England continued their winning ways with Brady back in the fold. The future Hall of Famer made his return in Week 5 by dissecting the Cleveland Browns defense, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 33-13 win. 

Brady’s dominating performance would dictate the tempo for New England during the course of the regular season. With Brady orchestrating the offense backed by a solid defense, the Patriots ended up sweeping all of their road games, including impressive victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. 

The Patriots likewise continued to lord over the AFC East by clinching their NFL record eighth straight division title in Week 15.

New England finished the regular season with the best record in the league, at 14-2.

Postseason dominance

The top-seeded Patriots came marching down the playoffs with a purpose. After a close first half of their Divisional round matchup against the Houston Texans, the New England defense went to work, picking off Brock Osweiler three times in the second half to power the Patriots to a runaway 35-14 victory.

New England faced a similar challenge in their AFC Championship game encounter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again, the Patriots defense imposed their will to keep Ben Roethlisberger and company grounded, to the tune of a 36-17 win.

The Patriots were looking to finish their outstanding run when they faced the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. However, if one was to judge the game's first two and a half quarters, it would appear that the Falcons were the ones to stop them in their tracks.

Unless, of course, it's Brady as the quarterback and Bill Belichick calling the shots. 

Brady would engineer the greatest comeback ever, making clutch plays that erased a 25-point deficit for the rest of the way as the Patriots bagged their fifth Lombardi Trophy, capping off in what should be considered the greatest season in New England Patriots history.