16-0 Meaningless?

With the Patriots having gone 16-0 in the regular season, it's become a regular theme in commentary that the record is "meaningless" if the team doesn't win the Super Bowl and complete the perfect season. Meaningless? I understand what people are trying to say with that, namely that this accomplishment will not rank up there with the '72 Dolphins perfect season unless the Pats do what that team did and went on to win the championship. Sure, if the Patriots lose sometime in the post-season, it will be a tremendous disappointment and the 16-0 record won't have quite the luster of Miami's 14-0. But meaningless? No way. In the 88 year history of the league, so far, only three other teams have ever finished a regular season undefeated, and only one other team in the last 60 years has done it (the aforementioned '72 Dolphins). That's one heck of an achievement. Worst case, New England will have had the second greatest season in league history. Not exactly meaningless.