Bedard: Time for the Patriots to put up or shut up with two-game road swing

Here they are, on the road again.

We're not even going to get into their issues in Miami Gardens against the Dolphins because, frankly, they don't make any sense. Let's just deal with the 2018 Patriots, those titans of the road who have been blasted away from Gillette by the Jaguars, Lions and Titans.

Average margin of defeat: 17.0 points.
Combined record of those opponents: 15-23.
Likely combined postseason berths: Zero.

Then there were the three victories: a seven-point win over the Bears that featured 14 points from the defense and special teams, a 19-point decision over the Bills in what was a 12-6 game in the fourth quarter; and the most recent defeat of those juggernaut Jets in which the score was 13-13 late in the third.

No matter how you slice it, these Patriots have not been good on the road. I know this is breaking news, but they're a perfect 6-0 at home and 3-3 on the road.

Any NFL team can be great at home. You have the comforts of being in your own environment, didn't have to get on a plane and go multiple time zones, the built-in and loud advantage with the crowd... Playing and winning at home is a lot easier in the NFL. Just about any team can do that. Seriously.

How do we know this? Well ... do you know who else is really good at home but mediocre or worse on the road?

The Bears (5-1, 3-3). The Cowboys (5-1, 2-4). The Titans (5-1, 2-5). The Panthers (5-1, 1-5). The Dolphins (5-1, 1-5).

You know what we call those teams in New England?

Pretenders. Front-runners. Soft-serve ice cream. Charmin.

Now, I don't think the Patriots should be grouped with those teams, but who can say for certain at this point? You are what your record says you are so, as of right now, the Patriots should be considered just as soft as those other teams.

But the Patriots have two games to prove themselves, starting Sunday in South Florida and continuing on to Pittsburgh.

According to their own franchise history, the Patriots have to sweep this two-game set. Why?

No Belichick Patriots team has advanced to a Super Bowl without going at least 5-3 on the road. The teams that failed to miss that mark:

2000: 2-6, missed playoffs.
2002: 4-4, missed playoffs.
2009: 2-6, lost home wild-card game.
2013: 4-4, never led, trailed 23-3 in AFC Championship loss to Denver.

The Patriots certainly have it in them. If you really wanted to wear Patriots-colored glasses — hey, let me try those babies on — you could argue they've been a victim of circumstances. The Jaguars were a much different team in Week 2 and that was their home opener in the September heat in Florida. Lions coach Matt Patricia knew all the weaknesses to exploit on the Patriots. And the Bears ... they ain't so bad and analytics will tell you they have the league's best defense (of course, Khalil Mack was hampered by injury against New England and Mitch Trubisky couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, but .. sorry, the glasses fell off for a second).

Take those three games alone and, yeah, sure, I could buy that stretch being an anomaly. The problem is the other three games. Lackluster effort in Buffalo. Not showing up in Nashville when half of New England made the Music City trek. Struggling to put away Josh McCown and his merry band of nobodies.

With that three-game stretch, you have to start bending yourself in a pretty funky pretzel to actually make the case the Patriots have proven anything on the road to this point. And if they haven't done that then, well, somebody pass the waffle cones. And soft teams, especially those with the Flying Elvis on the side of the helmet, don't go anywhere in the postseason.

That's why it's time for the Patriots to show us who they are.

It's sweep or go home.

It's time for the Patriots to actually treat these excursions like business trips, and bring a little enthusiasm to boot. Did you see how geeked up the Patriots' sideline was during the victory over the Vikings? I thought Chris Hogan was going to take an eye out with all his towel waving. Players were right up on the sideline cheering every play, or quick to jump off the bench to voice their pleasure when a Patriot stood out. How about they bring some of that stuff on the road? Or are they only capable of cheering when they have their own backers behind the bench?

These Patriots do have promise. The defense is experienced, healthy and doing more to play their part in the team's success. Tom Brady is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. When they're all healthy and feeling good, James White, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are three of the most dynamic weapons in the game, and Josh Gordon is a tough matchup. The offensive line is arguably one of the top five in the league.

There is no excuse for the Patriots not to go down to Miami Gardens and pummel this less-than-middling Dolphins team that is 23rd overall at FootballOutsiders.com in weighted DVOA (measures how good you're playing later in the season), and ranked 22nd both offensively and defensively. Their only decent win this season was at home in overtime against the Bears back in Week 6.

The same can be said with next week in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have lost two straight, and the only team in the playoffs right now that they've beaten is the Ravens (they split the season series).

The Patriots are better than both the Dolphins and the Steelers, and it shouldn't matter one bit where the game is played. It didn't for the good-to-great teams in the Belichick era up to this point. Time for these Patriots to show that they belong to be considered in that group.

Are they soft, or should they be taken seriously?

Let's find out.