As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Such appears to finally be the case with New England’s most beloved and winningest team, the Patriots.

Yes, after two decades of being perennial championship contenders — despite whatever cobbled together roster of afterthoughts, scrap heap acquisitions and late round draft picks Bill Belichick assembled around Tom Brady throughout those many years — it seems the clock has finally struck midnight and turned this once titanic force of terror back into a proverbial pumpkin.

After this past Sunday’s most horrifying of stinkers (the worst home loss in franchise history, worse than anything even elder fans of the squad’s most lovable loser years can recall), it may be hard to find hope as the team transitions into a period of blight and sadness not seen since before Gillette Stadium replaced Foxboro.

However, there may be one unexpected, saving grace for local football fans, particularly the younger ones who realistically might not have a singular memory from before the Pats were the envy of the rest of the pigskin world.

Ironically enough, that saving grace could come from the last person who actually put in a performance worthy of your hard-earned money at Gillette Stadium.

Yes, we’re talking about Taylor Swift.

Just hear us out.

Football is a sport in tremendous flux at the moment. As concerns over CTE and flag-happy referees upend the game that used to be all about refrigerator-sized humans trying to physically remove someone’s consciousness from their body, it is time we recognize that reality and change the way we market the game to younger fans, who will become the torchbearers for it going into the future.

An arranged union, much like rulers of disparate kingdoms used to do in medieval times, between one of the game’s most recognizable and talented stars, and one of the most popular recording artists in modern history, could provide exactly the kind of renewed interest in the sport necessary to see it through its growing pains and emerge stronger on the other side.

Finally, dads who put on a smile and honorably pretend to have fun while escorting their teenage daughters to a Taylor Swift concert at a stadium where they’d rather be watching football — and daughters who flee the living room every Sunday to avoid 10 hours of football — can share a common interest. It’s good for football, and it’s good for families.

Finally, teenagers who have never given watching football a chance can experience the immense talent and skill put on display each week (just not in New England at the moment, maybe invest in NFL Red Zone); even if it’s just to catch a glimpse of their beloved Tay Tay going crazy in a booth for a few seconds.

So to all the cynics who think that the growing relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift is nothing more than some marketing gimmick, we say “Hush!” Just smile and enjoy the ride. And mark your calendars, because the Chiefs come to Gillette on Dec. 18.

At least Pats fans can have something to smile about this holiday season.