Easterbrook

Of course Pats fans are fully entitled to think their team will win tomorrow, as both are great teams and each capable of beating the other. But why all of the predictions for the Pats to score 40something, 50+ points?

For NE to score 52 on Washington, they needed the Redskins to lose 2 of their top 3 CBs, numerous three and outs by Washington in order to get the ball back quickly enough to score, they got several turnovers, scored a defensive TD, and then still had to desperately try for more points at the end.

There is NO way either team scores that many points tomorrow.

chrisfx811

I agree.
I don't think Brady & co will strive to put all their points up on the board so quickly, as they will also take more time off the clock if given the opportunity to rest their own defense.
I don't think the Colts will commit as many penalties as the Cowboys did to halt their own drives. Nor do I think Manning & co will fail to convert as many 3rd downs as quickly as Washington did.

But, they did put up 34 points last year, with a considerably weaker offense last year, and all the other mishaps.
I don't think 40+ is that far out of the question, if our rush defense is stout tomorrow.

Easterbrook

True, the Pats offense is MUCH better this year. But the Colts defense is MUCH better this year. NE also had a defensive TD in that game, and a couple of long kick returns from Hobbs to get those 34 points. You can't count on any or all of those things happening again.

Even if NE's offense has a stellar day as they did last week, they still won't score those points because the Colts will be driving the ball themselves taking time off the clock. Doubtful they will turn the ball over as much either to give NE a short field.

Of course, if the Colts defense plays really well and holds NE down some, then the scoring will be even lower.

PatsFanInVa

While from the point of view of a Colts fan, Indy is something special, different, underestimated, and terrifying, from the point of view of a Pats fan -- particularly one taking part in the "predict the score" contest -- there are certain other dynamics which militate for lopsided predictions.

We have been following the Pats, and taking part in this contest, for years. I myself lost some ground going by the assumption, early on, that the blowouts were not a permanent thing. Then we got to the Dallas game -- there was no way we were going to put up the customary 38 or 34 against those guys, right? Uh, no.

Then it was Washington. Washington had me a little worried. Fifth best D in the league. Really starting to coalesce around Campbell. But I'd learned my lesson by then, and was only off by something like 16.

What we've been learning as we watched the Pats this year, is that they are that good.

Are the Colts better than those mugs? Yeah probably. Will the Colts look a lot like Dallas looked, by Monday Morning? Again, yeah, probably. You've noticed Dallas hasn't lost since the Pats game, right? That's because that's a pretty good team we slapped around.

So anyway -- all I can say is, everyone predicts what they predict, yadda yadda yadda. Predictions are worthless all the way around, that's why they play the games. But if you're in a contest to be the best predictor, you are that much more likely to take the exercise seriously.

Obviously, the "predict the score" contest here will be biased, as compared to a leaguewide equivalent. But I honestly think you're looking at a team -- the Pats -- that are a couple of touchdowns better than anybody right now.

And all the contestants who insist on saying, "yeah, but this week..." have paid for that mistake multiple times already.

PFnV

RobAllan

I think 40-something to teen-something or maybe 20-something is fairly realistic. This team is far better than the rest of the NFL. The Colts are at the top of that "rest of the NFL," no question. But that doesn't mean they're not going to get pounded.

Frankly all the Colts-loving going on right now is silly. They don't have a prayer. They won't be able to stop us.. I don't think on a single drive. And they always start out slow, and this will be no different. We'll win by the 2 TDs we're ahead by in the 1st quarter MINIMUM. And we should get a 3rd or a 4th score ahead from a Manning INT or 2.

It won't be close. Book it.

RobAllan

Also, and nothing personal, but I think anyone who has a name alluding to Gregg Easterbrook should be banned for that alone. Pretty much your using him in your handle tells me what kind of trash you are. And if you're not trash, you should probably pick something else so people don't assume it.

Easterbrook

You didn't really offer anything football related to help your case. What I'm saying is, unless the Pats get a defensive TD, force the Colts into half a dozen three and outs, throw long bombs against a cover two, and convert in the red zone at will, they can still win, but they won't have the time/possessions to put up that many points. Same goes for the Colts offense.

RobAllan

Yes I did. We pull ahead by 2 TDs in the first quarter because we score on our first two posessions and the Colts don't score on their first. Then maybe Indy paces us the rest of the game, EXCEPT for the 1 or 2 turnovers we get. And since I stated the Colts won't be able to stop us on any drive, that explains my prediction fairly succinctly. We score on our first drive, Colts don't, Colts make 1 or 2 turnovers, we don't. That's pretty easy to interperet, frankly.

Easterbrook

Unless this is a kids forum, I'm sure we're all mature enough here to take the good with the bad. Are all of the Pats fans that talk about Manning's big forehead, etc. "telling what kind of trash they are?"

RobAllan

There's a difference between supporting an ego-maniac with a weird chin and throwing your lot in with an anti-semitist who fabricates news stories. I'm just saying, generally, it's good to be careful who we choose to identify with. If you came in with the name CharlesMansonLvr or ILuvHitler I'm pretty sure you'd get the same reaction. And the only reason Easterbrook isn't as bad as those guys is his kills people in columns instead of with firearms.

There's no one that sickens me in all of sports more than Easterbrook right now, except perhaps Ray Lewis. So that name, to me, is a reflection on you. My perogative. Your coming in here with a "no realistic predictions" thread, when the predictions layed out ARE fairly realistic only affirms your likeness to Easterbrook. So that's a double-whammy.