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ATLANTA — The Patriots have tried to play the underdog card throughout the playoffs, but America mostly rolls its eyes. No one buys Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as underdogs anymore.

But there is an area of the football universe where the Patriots don’t receive enough respect. Their dynasty is now on its 18th season, with nine Super Bowl appearances and five (maybe six) championships, yet not one core Patriot from this era is currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 1970s Raiders won one Super Bowl, yet have 10 members in the Hall of Fame. The 1980s Bears won one championship, and have five.

But the entire first leg of the Patriots dynasty, when they won three Super Bowls in four years, has been shut out so far. Cornerback Ty Law is a finalist for the third time this year, while defensive end Richard Seymour is a first-time finalist. Linebackers Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi and safety Rodney Harrison have never made it far into the process.

“I think it’s a total injustice,” said ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, one of 48 voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “The five Super Bowls were not won by themselves. And specifically for Ty Law, you can make a very good argument that he kick-started the whole thing with the interception return against the Rams in the very first Super Bowl.”

The Patriots appear to have five locks for future enshrinement. Obviously, Brady and Belichick are first-time inductees whenever they are done writing their story. Robert Kraft will get inducted as a contributor, likely within the next few years. Rob Gronkowski and Adam Viniatieri are also likely Hall of Famers.

But the early Patriots dynasty has been passed over. The voting for the 2019 class occurs on Saturday and will be revealed at night.

Five of the 15 finalists will be chosen, and two are considered locks: tight end Tony Gonzalez and safety Ed Reed. Cornerback Champ Bailey is another strong candidate, but there seems to be at least some momentum here among voters to vote in Law with Bailey.

“I know a lot of people are looking at Champ, but if you compared Ty’s numbers to Champ, they go head to head,” said Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, who does not have a vote. “And to be honest, Ty’s numbers might be better in the backstretch of his career.”

Both played 15 years and were named to the 2000s All-Decade Team at cornerback. Law had 53 career interceptions to Bailey’s 52, and while Bailey has the decided edge in Pro Bowls (12 to 5) and All-Pros (3 to 2), Law has his three Super Bowl rings, plus the aforementioned pick-6 in the Patriots’ first championship. Bailey never won a championship.

“I think it’s ridiculous that the Patriots have won so many championships, and they don’t have more people in the Hall of Fame,” said the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, a voter for 25 years. “Ty Law has been deserving for years. Hopefully he’ll get in this year.

“And Brady and Belichick are locks, but one reason is the players come and go. There are so many players that don’t have the longevity.”

That is a legitimate problem for the Patriots and the Hall of Fame. The Patriots have had three constants on the field: Brady, Belichick, and roster churn. The cast of characters is long, and the Brady/Belichick system gets much of the credit for the team’s success. Seymour was traded away by Belichick after eight seasons. Law played five more years after leaving New England.

“By and large, it’s Tom Brady and a bunch of guys, which is even more of a testament to Tom’s greatness,” said Hall of Fame voter Alex Marvez. “It speaks to Belichick, too, and how to him some talent is interchangeable.”

Of course, there are several other qualified candidates on this year’s ballot, including Edgerrin James, Isaac Bruce, Steve Atwater, and Tom Flores.

Per ESPN, Brady wrote a letter this week to the voters in support of Law, while Belichick wrote one for Seymour.

Brady noted that Law was “a tenacious tackler and one of the game’s greatest bump-and-run defenders,” and credited Law with forcing the NFL to make the defensive holding rules a point of emphasis after the 2003 season.

And Belichick raved about Seymour’s versatility.

“It is extremely uncommon to see a player of his size, at any position, be capable of doing so many things so well,” Belichick wrote. “I do not believe we would have won three championships without him.”

The Patriots are forcing the voters to declare their priority: Is it regular-season numbers that make a Hall of Famer, or postseason success? Paolantonio believes that not only do Law and Seymour deserve enshrinement, but McGinest and Bruschi deserve more consideration than they have gotten so far.

“McGinest still holds the record for the most [career] sacks in postseason [16],” Paolantonio said. “And Bruschi is the middle linebacker on three Super Bowl teams.”

Julian Edelman is prompting a similar debate at this week’s Super Bowl. He has only one 100-catch season and two 1,000-yard seasons in his career, and has never even made a Pro Bowl. But he is a two-time Super Bowl champion and, statistically, one of the greatest postseason receivers in league history.

“We put Terrell Davis in there, I think, because he was the greatest playoff running back,” McClain said. “And if we put Terrell Davis in there with his short career, why wouldn’t we seriously consider putting Edelman in there?”

Another person making his case again this year: offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. The Hall of Fame has never inducted an assistant coach, but Scarnecchia’s performance as a line coach have been unmatched, and he deserves enshrinement one day in the contributor category.

“If we ever put an assistant coach in there, he should be at the head of the class,” McClain said.

The point of the matter is that if the 1960s Packers can have 13 Hall of Famers, the 1970s Steelers can have 12, and the 1990s Cowboys can have seven, then it’s time to start inducting some of the 2000s Patriots.

“I think we’re the only team to have performed the way it’s performed and not have any players in,” Kraft said. “I really hope Saturday that changes. I know I’m not objective, but the role that Richard played in those first three Super Bowls and Ty Law was unbelievable. We keep our fingers crossed.”

2019 Hall of Fame finalists

Five inductees will be announced Saturday night.

■ Steve Atwater, Champ Bailey, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Don Coryell, Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, Tony Gonzalez, Steve Hitchinson, Edgerrin James, Ty Law, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Ed Reed, Richard Seymour.