If you had been born in 2011, you would have watched the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game every year. There are few runs in sports history that compare to what Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, and Tom Brady have been able to accomplish. 17 years together, 12 AFC Championship appearances, 8 Super Bowl trips, and 5 World Championships. For years, it’s basically been a guarantee that the Patriots would be among the top contenders in the NFL.

With Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia, that status is in doubt. Time after time, the Patriots have battled back from adversity to triumph, but that was not to be in Minneapolis, as DE Brandon Graham swatted away the Patriots’ Super Bowl hopes with a timely sack fumble late in the fourth quarter. Tom Brady broke a Super Bowl record with 505 passing yards, but was outdueled by Eagles backup Nick Foles. The Patriot defense, sans Malcolm Butler, looked hapless and slow against an Eagles offense reminiscent of the Chip Kelly era.

For years, Tom Brady has been covering up the flaws in the Patriots roster. But even Brady’s heroic performance Sunday couldn’t mask the obvious lack of talent on New England’s defense. The linebacking corps, depleted by the somewhat puzzling trades of Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, were lost all game, as Detroit and Pittsburgh rejects Kyle Van Noy and James Harrison struggled to stop the run or pressure the passer. The secondary was pitiful without soon to be free agent Malcolm Butler, who was mysteriously benched Sunday, and abysmal coverage from Eric Rowe and Jonathan Bademosi meant Foles had no problem pushing the ball down field. Belichick has been known to make something out of nothing on defense, but you can’t coach speed, and the Patriots looked slow and talentless on Sunday, and for most of the year.

And whilst the Patriots struggles on defense this year have been well documented, little has been made of the offensive problems the Patriots are surely soon to face. Even if Brady continues to defy father time, he will soon have to find new receivers to throw too. 3 of the 4 top Patriot wideouts (Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Chris Hogan) are on the wrong side of 30, and Edelman is coming off an ACL tear. Gadget star Dion Lewis will be a free agent this offseason, and his hefty price tag means he’ll probably find a new home come March. And of course, the QB of the future still needs to be addressed. Former backup Jimmy Garoppolo looks like a future star in San Francisco, but by offloading him at the trade deadline, the Pats have left themselves without a true post Brady plan. New England picks 31st this year, and star college Quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), and Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) could be available with their 1st round pick. FCS standouts Kyle Lauletta (Richmond) and Mike White (Western Kentucky) could also be options on Day 2, but taking any one of those guys means one of the many glaring weaknesses on defense goes unheeded.

And as New England faces questions with their on field personnel, off the field personnel remains as big of an issue. Belichick remains the man in charge, but noticeably missing will be longtime coordinators Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels, both of whom will be head coaches next year. Patricia, who was named head coach of the Lions today, ran one of the NFL’s few successful hybrid defenses for years, and has been a member of the Patriots staff in some capacity for 13 years. McDaniels, who will take over in Indianapolis, has been the Pats offensive coordinator for the past 5 years, and has been masterfully adept at scheming receivers open in the middle of the field. After a brutal failure as head coach of the Broncos at the turn of the decade, McDaniels will get another chance with Andrew Luck, and his offensive presence will be very different to replace for Belichick, who makes his money on the defensive side of the ball. The Patriots will likely promote receivers coach Chad O’Shea to replace McDaniels, but the replacement on the defensive side of the ball is still very much in the air. Former Rutgers and Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano is said to be one of the favorites, and the Pats could also go the in-house route and promote Linebacker coach Brian Flores.

If it were any other team than the New England Patriots, I’d say that this current team would be in need of a complete rebuild in a couple years. But, if anybody can avoid that process, it is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. However, time is ticking on the Pats dynasty, and barring a miraculous personnel overhaul, it will soon run out.

Editor’s Note: Following the writing of this article, Josh McDaniels had a last second change of heart and turned down the Colts head coaching job. He will remain as offensive coordinator in New England.