HOUSTON – The New England Patriots arrived Sunday night at their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Been here, done this.

But not like this: As the heavy favorite.

Under the tremendous pressure of a 14-game winning streak. Facing a dangerously carefree team, the Panthers, who bear a striking resemblance to the Patriots who shocked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Houston, we have a role reversal.

This has to be coach Bill Belichick’s worst nightmare. High expectations? Bad. Lack of respect? Good.

Thing is, that isn’t going to sell this week as the hype for Super Bowl XXXVIII kicks into overdrive. After all, the Patriots are riding the second-longest single-season streak in history, next to the 1972 Dolphins (17-0).

Minutes after arriving at his team’s hotel, Belichick was asked about the ‘D’ word – dynasty. He looked as if someone had dropped a beehive on his desk.

“We’re not talking about that,” he said, almost incredulous that someone could ask that kind of question. “That’s for everybody else to talk about.”

Don’t worry, they will.

Belichick was more tight-lipped than usual, using the phrase “business trip” at least a half-dozen times in his 15-minute media session. Naturally, his players echoed his tunnel-vision approach, although cornerback Ty Law acknowledged things are dramatically different this time around. That, he said, will add to the challenge.

“In the last Super Bowl, we weren’t even supposed to be there,” he said. “No one gave us a chance against the Rams. Just hearing those guys talk, that added fuel to the fire.”

And it taught the Patriots a lesson.

“We’re not crazy enough to do that because I know the type of attitude we took going in there,” Law said. “People were predicting a 17- or 20-point win for the Rams. That’s a total smack in the face.”

Two years ago, the Patriots were the quintessential underdog against the Rams, who were favored by 14 points, the second-biggest spread in Super Bowl history.

It was Little Team That Could vs. The Greatest Show on Turf. For an entire week, the hype focused on the Rams’ prolific attack. It was the Enron offense, shredding everything in its path. The Patriots just sat back, letting the Rams luxuriate in the praise.

This week, the Patriots’ winning streak will be the talk of the Super Bowl, drawing comparisons to the ’72 Dolphins.

Anybody got Don Shula’s home number?

That sort of talk is flattering, but quarterback Tom Brady said the Patriots are well short of dynasty status.

“I think it takes more than three years,” he said. “We need to string together a decade or two.”

It isn’t easy to win a return engagement at the Super Bowl. In the parity-driven NFL, “dynasties” last as long as a Britney Spears marriage.

The Packers won after the 1996 season, but lost the following Super Bowl to the Broncos. The 1999 Rams won it, but fell to the Patriots after the 2001 season.

Told of that factoid, linebacker Willie McGinest replied, “What about Denver? You have to mention Denver.”

Indeed, the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls, after the ’97 and ’98 seasons. McGinest sounded like he had done some research on the matter.

Though they didn’t express any bravado, the Patriots are a confident team. And with good reason. They overcame a rash of injuries and the traumatic release of safety Lawyer Milloy before the season opener.

—

(c) 2004, New York Daily News.

Visit the Daily News online at http://www.nydailynews.com/

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

—–

PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099):

AP-NY-01-25-04 2308EST