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The Patriots haven't played anybody.

We're starting with that so no one can accuse us of not mentioning it. Gridiron Digest is aware the Patriots have played a creampuff schedule full of rookie quarterbacks, backup quarterbacks, ghostbusting second-year quarterbacks, directional schools and FCS midmajors.

But even factoring in the softer-than-baby-cheeks schedule, there's a chance this is the best Patriots team ever.

Sunday's 27-13 victory over the Browns looked like most Patriots victories this season. Their defense forced early mistakes and then clamped down, while Tom Brady and the offense feasted on great field position and then coasted on a comfortable lead. The Patriots have now outscored their opposition 250-61 this season, which means they win their average game by a score of roughly 31-8.

So these Patriots are obviously great. But how great, historically speaking?

To see if the 2019 Patriots stack up among all the other great Patriots teams, we need a precision scientific instrument: namely, Football Outsiders' DVOA, which weighs the success of every single play each season, and—critically—adjusts for the strength of each opponent.

The Patriots entered Sunday with a DVOA of 54.6 percent, the highest figure in the league. (That means that they are 54.6 percent better than a league-average team would be, if you are wondering.) The 2007 Patriots had a final DVOA of "just" 52.9 percent. Here's a list of the top five best Brady-Belichick Patriots teams:

2019 Patriots: 54.6 percent DVOA 2007 Patriots (18-and-D'oh): 52.9 percent 2010 Patriots (14-2 but stunned by Jets in the playoffs): 44.6 percent 2012 Patriots (34.8 points per game but stunned by Ravens in the playoffs): 34.9 percent 2004 Patriots (Beat Eagles in Super Bowl): 34.2 percent

How on earth do the current Patriots come out ahead of the 2007 team?

After all, 2007 Brady was clearly superior to 2019 Brady, who is—don't you dare write "looking old' or "on the downswing" unless you want Patriots fans on Twitter to vivisect you—um, just a smidge less dominant than he was during that 50-touchdown season.

The 2007 Patriots had Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth at wide receiver and 27-year-old Benjamin Watson at tight end; the Patriots have Julian Edelman and whoever is available at wide receiver and 39-year-old Benjamin Watson at tight end. And that 2007 Patriots defense was no slouch: Asante Samuel, Mike Vrabel and Vince Wilfork all earned Pro Bowl notice that year.

But the current Patriots are fielding the greatest defense through seven games of the past 30 years, again according to Football Outsiders. Stephon Gilmore leads a secondary more talented and deeper than the many fine units of the last 20 years. Jamie Collins leads a multi-faceted pass rush every bit as good as the ones Vrabel and others led in the past.

And you probably cannot even name the running back for the 2007 Patriots*, whereas the James White-Sony Michel-Rex Burkhead attack makes up for some of the shortcomings of Brady's current receiving corps (even with Michel playing poorly).

So, yes, the Patriots may indeed be better than ever, which means they can waltz right into the Super Bowl, right? Well, yeah, probably. C'mon, they're the Patriots.

But not so fast! There are other forces at work:

• Through their first seven games, the 2007 Patriots were far better (DVOA of 69.1 percent, the highest ever) than the current team. The 2019 Patriots rank higher because the 2007 team had some tight wins against quality opponents late in the year. This year's Patriots are about to embark on a tougher stretch of games, starting next week against the Ravens in Baltimore.

• Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders told Gridiron Digest on Sunday night that the Patriots' DVOA would go down (to 44.7 percent, closer to the other great Patriots teams than the 2007 team) after the Browns win, which wasn't as dominant as past victories (the slackers allowed Nick Chubb to rush for 131 yards and gave up their fourth offensive touchdown of the year). When a 27-13 win makes a team's ranking go down, it's a sign of central tendency pulling hot-starting teams back to earth.

• As the list above illustrates, the best Patriots teams are not always the best Patriots playoff teams, and vice versa. Beating the Jets and Browns by extra-wide margins will mean little come January.

Even after applying high-tech stats to account for the strength of the Patriots schedule, the strength of the Patriots schedule may remain a factor. It's a both-things-are-true situation. Despite injuries and an offense that won't shatter any records, the Patriots are as great as they've ever been. But a tougher schedule could pull them back to the pack late in the year, and anything can happen in the playoffs and Super Bowl.

It doesn't matter if these Patriots are as good as any past Patriots team, anyway. All that matters is that they are the best team in the NFL. The only teams that can challenge that claim are the 49ers and Saints. If the Patriots meet either of them, it will be in the Super Bowl.

(* It was Laurence Maroney. Don't act like you remembered.)