FOXBOROUGH, Mass - If the New England Patriots spoil their undefeated regular season with a loss in the playoffs, how will history judge their season?

No more harshly than the Patriots themselves will.

“Believe me, if we go 16-1 this year, no one’s going to be happy about that,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady testifies. “I think you set your goals up because we’ve established that level of championship play here. I think everyone is hoping that we can improved these next couple of weeks so that we’re most prepared for going into whatever happens in January.”

The Patriots know what happens in January and early February.

Cases for Canton are made.

Legends are forged.

Lombardi Trophies are held aloft.

The Patriots have won three Super Bowls since 2001. Trying to sell them on the notion that a 16-0 regular season without a Super Bowl chaser is something to celebrate would be like telling Jeff Gordon that riding the rails on the DisneyWorld go-karts is a pretty good time.

Take Brady as an example. He’s won two Super Bowl MVP awards. He’s been SI’s Sportsman of the Year. This year, he’s the Sporting News and Associated Press Athlete of the Year. He’s probably going to win the MVP award. He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame. Unless you’re stupid enough to believe that passing stats and arm strength trump leadership and championships, you probably agree by now that he’s the best quarterback to ever play.

Perfection means winning the game that means the most. The game that means the most is the next game. And that goes on until there is no longer a “next game” until the following September.

And it’s not just the Patriots themselves. If New England loses somewhere in the playoffs, you think there will be a conga line of consolation hugs from coast-to-coast where players, coaches, fans and the media line up to say, “Nice try!”?

No way. How many people hugged Mike Tyson when he lost to Buster Douglas? Who cried for UNLV in 1991 when the Runnin’ Rebels lost to Duke in the national semifinal? Or for Georgetown in 1985 when it lost to Villanova? Or, for that matter, for the 2001 Rams when the lovable Patriots beat them in Super Bowl XXXVI?

If that happens, the 2007 Patriots would be regarded as monumental gaggers. They have to close the deal. Which is why they are ratcheting it up now, as the regular season winds down.

In preparing for the 1-13 Miami Dolphins, the Patriots practiced in full pads three times. That’s the first time they’ve done that since training camp. At earlier points during this season, the team didn’t take the practice field until Thursday before a Sunday game.

With focus on the 2007 Patriots intensifying as they near 16-0, the greater context of this season is getting lost. The mantra has been “60 minutes.”

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The reason? Last year, with a team that doesn’t hold a candle to this one in terms of offensive talent, the Patriots were a third-and-2 conversion from upsetting the Colts in the AFC Championship and going to Miami where they would have killed the Bears. Didn’t happen. They lost that game (blowing a 21-3 lead in the process) and had to suck on that for the entire offseason. They played great, especially in the playoffs. But they didn’t play to the end, didn’t finish. And there was no solace.

Just as there is no weight given to the pursuit of 16-0.

When the Pats got to 14-0 Brady was pressed to say that he’s wowed by what his team’s accomplished. “It’s only human nature (to contemplate going 16-0),” he was told.

“Maybe we’re not human. Maybe that’s it. That might have something to do with it,” he deadpanned. “We just don’t talk about it. …Our goal wasn’t, ‘Let’s be 14-0 this year.’ So I don’t think you accomplish much (by doing that). I don’t think you play this game to be 14-0. You really don’t. Hopefully, you play (with the goal being that) every time you take the field you win.”

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