Cheer up, America, the New England Patriots are toast.

I know fans and critics alike have said it before, but this time the greatest dynasty in NFL history is on the way out. Despite an 8-0 start and a current 10-2 record, the Patriots are showing signs of fatigue on the defense that has carried them this season and no signs of life from their aging offense.

But, hey, you can’t win it every year and the sure signs of demise have invigorated all those across the country who hate the silent, scowling Bill Belichick and the too-slick-to-be true Tom Brady, who looks more and more like his days in New England, if not his football career, are numbered.

Beneath the surface in my hometown, a conspiracy theory looms that the Pats have set up Brady to either retire or try to play for another team for whatever time he has left. They went from having no top targets that keep Julian Edelman from being double-teamed, to having talented-but-tainted Josh Gordon AND Antonio Brown, back to having only Edelman as a threat.

A few years ago, the conspiracy theorists claimed that Belichick wanted to move on from the near-40 Brady in favor of back-up Jimmy Garoppolo, who was capable but somewhat injury-prone. Owner Bob Kraft, he of Florida strip-mall fame, stepped in and said Brady has earned the right to decide how long he wants to play for Kraft’s team. And TB12 promptly won two more Super Bowls.

This season, the Patriots have relied almost exclusively on a stingy, take-away defense and special teams, and those two units have basically carried them into the difficult five-game stretch that so far has resulted in two wins and two losses, along with ceding the AFL’s favorite role to the resurgent Ravens and spectacular option quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Yes, all you Nervous Nellies out there say that the Patriots won the conference championship game at Kansas City last year and might have to do it again in Baltimore. But, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, R-E-L-A-X, it ain’t happening this season. The only chance the Pats have to reaching a fifth Super Bowl in six years is for them to run the table and for the Bills to beat the Ravens, their last tough game of the regular season Sunday.

That unlikely occurrence could return to No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs to New England.

ESPN’s Max Kellerman finally has his wish that Brady’s fallen off the cliff, but Kellerman has said that now for at least the Patriots’ last three Super Bowl appearances. Personally, I’d like to see slapsy Maxie proven wrong one more time, but now he is probably right. After all, no one wins them all.

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