Fanfrom1960

Lay off the Red Sox! Two out of four now. Terry Francona, not Grady Little, or John McNamara. Josh Beckett, not Roger Clemens.

chrisfx811

To me, this is the one aspect of being undefeated and considered 'unstoppable', or 'the best ever' by the media, that works against them.
Opposing teams know that they HAVE to give their best effort to be in the game. There's no sneaking into the playoffs 'under the radar', as a 10-6 or 11-5 team and catching someone by surprise.
The Pats are coming in with all the fanfare, accolades, media attention, and rep as Superbowl winners.

Opposing teams focus harder, prepare harder, and play harder when they face the Pats.
Unless the Pats come out and smash 'em right off the bat like they did against quite a few teams, opposing teams will feel as though they can beat them the longer the games remain close.

Honestly, I watch every game they play and ask myself if they would win playing like that against the Colts or Cowboys. That is a bit unfair though, because we'd like to think the Pats will always be 'up' for those big games.

Much like if the Pats faced the Colts that played yesterday, they'd most likely blow them out.

Michigan Dave

In the playoffs, you have to bring that best effort anyways.

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richpats

As we've seen against Indy, Philly and Baltimore, a team has to play the full 60 to beat NE. The Jets even faltered on the Pats' last scoring possession yesterday. Teams just wear themselves out trying to knock NE out early and simply try to hold on.

RussFrancis

at this point, I just dont think its really possible to lose either of the last 2 games. Neither of those teams is really capable of beating the Pats, imo. Even on a really bad day.

Now, looking to the playoffs, I agree that anything can happen. But youve gotta like playing on your own field the rest of the way. There's really no sense in worrying. But I understand that's also part of the fun. Nothing worth having really should come easy. So keep your worrying, but dont kill yourself over it. This team needs to win 5 more games just like every other out there. They all have the same amount of pressure on them. And what other team and what other player would you rather be rooting for besides the Pats and Tom Brady? We've got it good. Just imagine how all those other fans feel.

richpats

Yeah, oddly enough the 2 toughest games remaining will be at Gillette. Super Bowl? Spare me. Ideal conditions for this offense? Like shootin' fish in a barrel

AndyJohnson

If we are facing a team that doesnt normally 'prepare hard, focus hard, and play hard' and their only motiviation in doing it is because of OUR record, I have zero concern of losing that game.

AndyJohnson

I think your uneasiness is natural. There is no room for error.
I think deep down, your 'feeling better' about losing a game is because you would 'feel better' if we were a 15-1 team that lost in the playoffs rather than a 16-0 team that lost in the playoffs, if we were to lose.
You are looking at 5 1/2 months of football, and thinking no one has ever done this before (Miami only played 17) so ON TOP OF winning the SB, which is difficult even when you are the best team, we also have to do what no one has done before.
The reality is that it is now a 3 game season. What happens in the next 2 weeks ultimately means nothing. USING those 2 weeks to be better prepared for the playoffs does mean something, and you are better prepared by winning.
When the 'tournament' starts, whether we are 16-0, 15-1 or 14-2, we will need to beat the 4th, 5th or 6th seed in round 1, then win the AFCC game in Foxboro, then beat whatever the NFC throws into the SB.
I think our chances of doing that are higher than any team has ever had in week 15 of any season. What happens in the next 2 games really doesnt change that a whole lot in either direction.

chrisfx811

As evidence, I present this year's Ravens. I don't think they've played a game like they did against us much this season.

I guess I should've added -est to my description.
Many who have played competitive sports know what I mean. Sometimes teams play down to the level of their competition, and sometimes they play out of their minds to raise their performance.

patchick

Here's why I think people are uneasy: because with a team this good, anything but a SB victory would be a crushing disappointment.

Imagine you're a fan of a team like Cleveland. You start off the season hoping your team will be good. There are ups and downs, but enough good stuff to keep you optimistic. As the ups continue to outweigh the downs, you start envisioning a playoff berth. Excitement is building, every game is another opportunity to secure that spot! If you make it, woo-hoo!!! Maybe your team can win a game...or even two...or...who knows? They've already proven all the doubters wrong, it's all gravy now!

Now imagine you're a fan of the Patriots. (Not too hard to imagine, right? ) You started this season knowing your team was good. By week 4 you had a near deathgrip on the division title. By week 9 a bye and HFA looked solid. By week 11 folks are talking about all-time records and all-time greatness. Your team is the overwhelming favorite to win it all.

It's fantastic. It's amazing. Through 14 games, it's a dream come true. But the incremental, week-by-week excitement of a normal season has been replaced by a single long-term goal: Win the Superbowl, period. That, IMO, is why fans are so jittery. It just feels like a long, tense wait to the playoffs at this point. The next few weeks are just about preventing negatives.