Patriots enjoying greatest stretch in Super Bowl era

There are franchises that haven't reached the NFL playoffs in seven years. The New England Patriots haven't missed an AFC Championship game in seven years.

The Patriots clinched the longest stretch of success in the Super Bowl era with Saturday night's 35-14 demolition of the Tennessee Titans. The win ensured the Pats will again play for a trip to the Super Bowl, a remarkable feat in a sport highlighted by parity, player movement, and the salary cap.

Since the merger, no team has had a better seven-year stretch. The Los Angeles Rams made the playoffs in every year from 1973 to 1980, but they were eliminated before the conference title round three times, lost the conference championship four times, and never won a Super Bowl over that span.

From 1975 to 1982, the Dallas Cowboys reached the postseason each year, but won the Super Bowl once and were eliminated before the NFC title game twice.

Then there's the Buffalo Bills' memorable run of four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s. Of course, none of those seasons ended with a championship parade.

The Patriots truly are in a league of their own. Outside of 2008, the year in which Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in the season opener, the Patriots have made the playoffs in every season since 2003. But their string of AFC title game appearances is unprecedented.

No team has been able to keep New England from the conference showcase. No opponent has been able to slow the train. Inner turmoil may be the only foe that can. However, since an ESPN bombshell dropped last week, highlighting a reported fracture between Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, and team owner Robert Kraft, it still hasn't been enough to disrupt the juggernaut.

For now, and for the foreseeable future, to get to the Super Bowl, teams from the AFC must first go through the Patriots.