How much of a statement is to be made about the Patriots season this Sunday?

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Its just week 6 but this Charger team despite its 2-3 record which could have easily have been 4-1 or 5-0 to me is a big indication of how this Patriots team will fare down the stretch because the Chargers are still a pretty good team,Despite having Turner as HC

SD has alot of injuries which sucks because I wanted to face a team like this that is healthy and would have prefered to see Merriman,Chambers,Tomlinson and Gates in perfect health but still this is a formidable challenge and they still have loads of talent on both sides to make it tough and that is why I think this game will be somewhat of an indication of what type of season we will see from the Pats when all is said and done this year.

An easy blow out win by the Pats which I think is very unlikely would set me into a huge confidence build towards not only winning the division but going deep into the playoffs and changing my mind of Cassel and probably others like me who have little confidence in the kid,

A win by 1-3 points or so would give me a little more confidence that this team has a good chance to win the division and have clearly overcome the loss of Brady

A loss by 1-3 points would show me the team can still fight with the best and still has a shot at the playoffs but there would still be uncertainty that we could beat the better teams of the league.

A loss and a blowout to the Patriots to me would probably give me the feeling this years team could only beat the sisters of the poor and I would not expect much but to realize this may be a team borderlining on mediocre

So like I said its very early in the season and injuries down the line could change things quickly I still think this game vs. SD will be a big indication of things to come for the Patriots team and their fans.

 

[Grizzafted]

I'm going to go out on a shaky limb here and say it's sort of an early make-or-break for the season. If they win this one, they can lose to Denver and Indy and still concievably be 5-3 with a schedule that they could easily go 6-2 or 5-3 in, and get at least a wild card slot.

If they lose, then they have to beat either Denver or Indy or the season is likely done, both by way of being eliminated from the playoffs (barring a huge late season push) and from the perspective of their not being able to hang even with the mid-level contenders in the AFC.

I'm not saying it's impossible for them to lose this week and then beat Denver and/or Indy (both of which have extremely suspect defenses and are susceptible to a ball-control offense), just that the stakes get higher.

For what it's worth, I think they lose on Sunday but still shake their way into the playoffs at 10-6.

 

[captadamnj]

They need to be competitive, and not just on the scoreboard. The defense needs to keep the rushing game under 100 yards, Rivers around 250 and get a couple of turnovers. The offense needs 20 points and to win the turnover battle. If they can accomplish that, on the road, against a team that needs the win, that would be something to build on and should lead to a W.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I want a win and thats all that matters. If we're 4-1 with a backup QB and a defense that's averaging about 20 ppg under a staff and talent base that's proven to get better as the season progresses, I'm more than happy.

I don't care how ugly it is or how 'lucky' we get, let's stay on pace with Buffalo.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

They need to be competitive, and not just on the scoreboard. The defense needs to keep the rushing game under 100 yards, Rivers around 250 and get a couple of turnovers. The offense needs 20 points and to win the turnover battle. If they can accomplish that, on the road, against a team that needs the win, that would be something to build on and should lead to a W.

If Rivers throws for 250 with a banged up WR corps I can assure you that you can forget about everything else - The Patriots will get killed -

Rivers cannot be allowed to throw for more than 200 if this team is going to beat them.

Rivers needs to be contained to something like 19-27 for 190 yards and 2 TDs and Tomlinson with something like 22 rushes for 93 yards and we should have a shot

 

[JoePats]

An easy blow out win by the Pats which I think is very unlikely would set me into a huge confidence build towards not only winning the division but going deep into the playoffs and changing my mind of Cassel and probably others like me who have little confidence in the kid,

A win by 1-3 points or so would give me a little more confidence that this team has a good chance to win the division and have clearly overcome the loss of Brady

A loss by 1-3 points would show me the team can still fight with the best and still has a shot at the playoffs but there would still be uncertainty that we could beat the better teams of the league.

A loss and a blowout to the Patriots to me would probably give me the feeling this years team could only beat the sisters of the poor and I would not expect much but to realize this may be a team borderlining on mediocre

So like I said its very early in the season and injuries down the line could change things quickly I still think this game vs. SD will be a big indication of things to come for the Patriots team and their fans.

Um, you do realize that a game can be decided by more than 3 points and not be a blowout right?

 

[JSn]

Um, you do realize that a game can be decided by more than 3 points and not be a blowout right?

I think the margin needs to be 17 to be a blowout. Anything 14 and less is recoverable in 15 minutes of play.

 

[NEPatriot]

If we want to win AFC championship, we need to defeat Indi and SD.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Um, you do realize that a game can be decided by more than 3 points and not be a blowout right?

Yeah,If you want to use 7-10 points or more and be more technical then thats fine but I am sure you get the idea of my question

 

[NEPatriot]

It's definitely a big statement because we can win a championship WITHOUT TB.

Can Cassel lead us to the victory? What i'm looking for are Cassel's improvement and consistency. We'll see this Sunday.

 

[swheeler23]

It's definitely a big statement because we can win a championship WITHOUT TB.

Can Cassel lead us to the victory? What i'm looking for are Cassel's improvement and consistency. We'll see this Sunday.

Win a championship without Brady? That is a big statement because they couldnt win one last year with him. Maybe you dont really need mvp superstar qb's.Unless you become the Bears...

 

[JoePats]

I think the margin needs to be 17 to be a blowout. Anything 14 and less is recoverable in 15 minutes of play.

As a general rule then I agree, but I think you have to look at the specifics of the game as well.

Is a 10 pt game in the 4th that ends at 24 more of a blowout than a 24 pt game in the 4th that ends at 10? I don't think so.

 

[JoePats]

I think the margin needs to be 17 to be a blowout. Anything 14 and less is recoverable in 15 minutes of play.

As a general rule then I agree, but I think you have to look at the specifics of the game as well.

Is a 10 pt game in the 4th that ends at 24 more of a blowout than a 24 pt game in the 4th that ends at 10? I don't think so.

As for this game, look, I do not care at all about the margin. This is a road game against a good team and will not be easy to win.

 

[NEPatriot]

Win a championship without Brady? That is a big statement because they couldnt win one last year with him. Maybe you dont really need mvp superstar qb's.Unless you become the Bears...

i was talking about AFC championship.

 

[alamo]

I disagree that game is so important. Every one of what we consider the top teams we are used to competing against for the playoffs - SD, DEN, IND -has been inconsistent. And even though the trip isn't as tough as it could be (since we stayed on the west coast) this is still a game we are not really expected to win.

I feel the BUF game, followed by NYJ at home then at MIA is a much more important stretch. If we can't beat the Bills or lose again to the Dolphins that will impact our season much much more than the Chargers and Denver games. Our dominance in-division (with the exception of an occasional hiccup against Miami) has been the cornerstone of our success. And winning the division means we are worrying about home field, not the wildcard.

 

[102 Pat]

I think it's important to win simply because a win would put us in a tie with Buffalo for first in the East. A Jets and Dolphins losing this sunday would be icing on the cake.

 

[jmt57]

SD has alot of injuries which sucks because I wanted to face a team like this that is healthy and would have prefered to see Merriman,Chambers,Tomlinson and Gates in perfect health but still this is a formidable challenge and they still have loads of talent on both sides to make it tough and that is why I think this game will be somewhat of an indication of what type of season we will see from the Pats when all is said and done this year.

A loss and a blowout to the Patriots to me would probably give me the feeling this years team could only beat the sisters of the poor and I would not expect much but to realize this may be a team borderlining on mediocre

So like I said its very early in the season and injuries down the line could change things quickly I still think this game vs. SD will be a big indication of things to come for the Patriots team and their fans.

I'm going to go out on a shaky limb here and say it's sort of an early make-or-break for the season.

If they lose, then they have to beat either Denver or Indy or the season is likely done, both by way of being eliminated from the playoffs (barring a huge late season push) and from the perspective of their not being able to hang even with the mid-level contenders in the AFC.

I'm looking at it a little bit differently. If we had a healthy Tom Brady we would not consider the season to be over if we lost to the Chargers in San Diego, so why should we write the season off now if the Pats lose Sunday with Cassel? A few years ago the Chargers blew the Pats out early in the season but the Pats came back to win the division.

 

[CheerforTom]

If we lose, we're 3-2 behind a 4-1 Buffalo. It's still close, nothing terrible especially since we have our chance to play them twice. If we win, we're tied for first and have as good of a record as most teams in the league.

In terms of how it'll make us LOOK, I don't think it'll be a big deal to lose. San Diego's a good team who has looked very good and very bad at times. It won't be a shame to lose to them if they play well. Unless Cassel takes a huge step back or we get a bunch of injuries or something.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

None whatsoever.

What happens early in the season that does not substantively eliminate you from the playoffs means nada. Past Pats teams endured debacles this time of year. A bad Halloween loss to the Squealers comes to mind. Subsequently, that Pats team went on to glory.

Every season is unique. Every team is unique. BB has often said that he doesn't know what kind of team he has until he reaches December. With a neophyte QB whose true capabilities are still TBD, and the team's potential to bring several talented defensive rookies into contribution mode over the next months, this team could look quite different in December depending on the newbies' performances. Don't forget Neal & Ross potentially coming off PUP to improve the OL.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

As a general rule then I agree, but I think you have to look at the specifics of the game as well.

Is a 10 pt game in the 4th that ends at 24 more of a blowout than a 24 pt game in the 4th that ends at 10? I don't think so.

As for this game, look, I do not care at all about the margin. This is a road game against a good team and will not be easy to win.

I would be more worried about a 10pt game that ends as a 24 pt game then the other way around

A 10pt game that becomes a 24pt game says something about the age or inexperience of your defense and tiring out late in the 2nd half which we all know as Pats fans has happened the past 2 seasons in the playoffs - That to me is the difference - I would rather see a 24pt game become a 10pt game at the end,even if it is a loss that means the offense picked up and the defense held its own in the 2nd half.