What in the name of Chad Brown is a picture of Monty Beisel doing on this blog?

Well, would you believe that came from the last regular-season loss to an NFC team? That's right, it was September 2005, it happened in Charlotte, and after that defeat to the Panthers, the Patriots embarked on a four-year, 17-game winning streak in interconference affairs.

Of course, that's without mentioning that the Patriots had one pretty significant loss to an NFC team that didn't happen in the regular season. But you don't need that rehashed.

While we're here ... Can we please put to rest the ridiculous notion that the AFC is so much superior to the NFC? It's an idea that's outdated by at least two years. Look at the top three clubs, today, in each conference ...

AFC: Colts (11-0), Bengals (8-3), Chargers (8-3)
NFC: Saints (11-0), Vikings (10-1), Cowboys (8-3)

You could argue that established powers like the Patriots and Steelers lurk underneath that in the AFC. But couldn't you say the same about the Giants and Eagles in the NFC? The AFC may still be better, but it's most certainly debatable. There was once a day when the Patriots' locker room was full of guys who felt like they had no business losing to an NFC team, and it's pretty clear they have no business thinking like that anymore.

Last night, of course, was a good example of that. The Saints have now beaten seven straight AFC opponents. Want to explain that one away?