Foxborough, Mass. ? Now what?

What’s next for the Patriots now that the preliminaries, as perfect as they were, are over?

Four days off to savor their feats and soothe their aches. A New Year’s Eve toast to a 2008 that’s as good as 2007. Then back to reality – the meeting rooms and practice field presided over by demanding Bill Belichick.

They may have been unbeaten in the regular season, but that’s history.

In the playoffs, which New England starts Jan. 12 at 7 p.m., the Patriots are winless.

“The next time we step on the field we’ll be zero and zero in the second season,” Belichick said Sunday, “so we’ve got still a lot to look forward to.”

The Patriots arrived back home at 2:30 a.m. with a 16-0 record and a break from practice until Thursday.

It would have been 15-1 if Tom Brady hadn’t pulled off his fourth fourth-quarter comeback of the season to beat the New York Giants 38-35 on Saturday night.

New England joined the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears as the only teams to finish a regular season undefeated. Only Miami, though, also made it through the playoffs without a loss.

So the first team to go 16-0 in the regular season could go 0-1 in the playoffs.

The Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years and were labeled by many as a dynasty.

But in the next season, 2005, they missed a berth in the AFC title game by losing at Denver.

Then their 2006 season ended with a loss at Indianapolis in the conference championship game after they blew an 18-point lead.

“We’ve been there before,” Belichick said in a conference call. “Lose and go home. Win and keep playing. It’s all one-game seasons now.”