Patriots playoff expectations...

[buile]

How far can they go? All the way.

But, the way I look at it is: ~Should~ they beat Baltimore? Yes, they should beat them.

~Should~ they beat San Diego? That's tough. I'd suggest "no" they shouldn't, but they can.

They already proved they can beat Indy. I was very confident about a rematch. I'll be honest that over the rest of the season, I lost a little confidence, so ~should~ they beat them? Dunno, but they can.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

God, what a dumb thread. Haven't we been talking about this all week with polls and ****?

We'll play until we lose or bring home the bling. Take it to the bank.

 

[TheComeback]

I'm not sure we can even beat the Ravens. We'll see. Both teams have improved in a lot of ways since they last met, but the Ravens defense has especially gotten better. They aren't nearly as weak against the pass as some on this forum believe.

It is going to be a lot tougher to win without Welker. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but you have to face reality here. There's a chance Brady could play a great game or a chance that he could look completely lost. Can we run on the Ravens? That might be the most difficult aspect of the game.

I have confidence that our defense can contain the Ravens for most of the game. But if it's close in the 4th quarter, watch out. Baltimore has played well in the second half on offense, and the Patriots defense hasn't. I would not be surprised at all if we lost this game late.

We are 5-0 against them. At some point, Baltimore is going to beat us. I hope it isn't Sunday, but there is a strong possibility it will happen.

I expect a low scoring game.

If they can beat the Ravens without Welker, I'm actually pretty confident they can beat anyone else in the playoffs. This team we're about to play may be 9-7, but they're no joke.

 

[Patriots2001]

Can you imagine if we ended up playing the Jets in the AFCCG in Foxboro..Now that would be exciting and i don't know why i just get a feeling it could happen..

 

[Mossachusetts]

"It is what it is" -Bill Belichick

 

[SVN]

I'm not sure we can even beat the Ravens. We'll see. Both teams have improved in a lot of ways since they last met, but the Ravens defense has especially gotten better. They aren't nearly as weak against the pass as some on this forum believe.

It is going to be a lot tougher to win without Welker. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but you have to face reality here. There's a chance Brady could play a great game or a chance that he could look completely lost. Can we run on the Ravens? That might be the most difficult aspect of the game.

I have confidence that our defense can contain the Ravens for most of the game. But if it's close in the 4th quarter, watch out. Baltimore has played well in the second half on offense, and the Patriots defense hasn't. I would not be surprised at all if we lost this game late.

We are 5-0 against them. At some point, Baltimore is going to beat us. I hope it isn't Sunday, but there is a strong possibility it will happen.

I expect a low scoring game.

If they can beat the Ravens without Welker, I'm actually pretty confident they can beat anyone else in the playoffs. This team we're about to play may be 9-7, but they're no joke.

the way we have won/lost some games ,no game is a gimme especially this one.the fact that they are@home gives them some adv. but they better TACKLE. Rice has so many YACS and our tackling is quite ordinary.

 

[BionicPatriot]

New England Patriots going down easily in the playoffs?

Aint happenin. If they do go down, they aint goin down easily and I doubt they exit before the divisional round.

I know that's not saying much but that's about all you CAN say

 

[Kid~Brady]

I DONT UNDERSTAND why ppl saying that we arent the same Caliber as Colts and Chargers? We pretty outplayed the Colts this season in the game we played them in. Even without Wes, i still believe we are just as good as a team.

Chargers, i love them but we've beaten couple times after they defeated the Colts (which was the last 2 years lol)

We are banged up but still, i think this kid Edelman has something good coming

 

[Mossachusetts]

I honestly believe that they will beat the Ravens, but after that it all depends on how the defense plays. Just my opinion though.

 

[condon84]

There's really no clear dominant team out there. There are teams that are on a "hot" streak like the Chargers, Cowboys, and Packers, but talent-wise, I'd say everyone is on the same level.

We've definitely shown that we have glaring weak points (consistent pass rush being the most glaring), but I can see Belichick coming up with schemes that can minimize that weakness.

If our OL protects Brady, we're winning this thing.

 

[furley]

5 figures under playoff microscope


Bill Belichick, New England Patriots coach.

I bet you're surprised to see his name on the list, but don't be. I know Belichick's résumé speaks for itself and he is one of the best coaches of all time. That much is indisputable.

The problem is Belichick and Tom Brady won their third Super Bowl together after the 2004 season, Brady's fifth in the NFL. Since then, in years 5-9 of Brady's career, they have made one Super Bowl and lost. And now that Wes Welker is out, this postseason is not exactly looking promising. That means Belichick could go 0-5 in terms of winning championships during what are supposed to be the best years for an NFL QB, especially one destined to be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Bill Polian, Bill Belichick under NFL playoffs microscope - Ross Tucker - SI.com

 

[chevss454]

There's really no clear dominant team out there. There are teams that are on a "hot" streak like the Chargers, Cowboys, and Packers, but talent-wise, I'd say everyone is on the same level.

We've definitely shown that we have glaring weak points (consistent pass rush being the most glaring), but I can see Belichick coming up with schemes that can minimize that weakness.

If our OL protects Brady, we're winning this thing.

Well said!

 

[The Dynasty]

There's really no clear dominant team out there. There are teams that are on a "hot" streak like the Chargers, Cowboys, and Packers, but talent-wise, I'd say everyone is on the same level.

We've definitely shown that we have glaring weak points (consistent pass rush being the most glaring), but I can see Belichick coming up with schemes that can minimize that weakness.

If our OL protects Brady, we're winning this thing.

I disagree, although I still think that its possible that the Pats could win the SB I dont think the OL is the key. Brady needs people to throw the ball too. The WRs, TEs, RBs need to step up and make catches and plays. If they do that then I think you can say we have a good chance of winning the SB.

I do agree that all the teams in the playoffs are at the pretty much the same level. There isnt one dominant team that no one wants to play. The Chargers who are probably the hottest team in the NFL winning 11 in row, they can be beaten. Of their 11 wins only 3 were against playoff teams, and they have only beaten 4 all year long. Stats wise they are very even with the Pats on offense. Brady and Rivers are pretty much identical stats wise this year. Believe it or not the Pats have 500 more yards rushing than the Chargers and statistically the Pats defense is better than the Chargers.

The winner of the SB is there for the taking, whoever plays the best football from here on out will win. It is completely up for grabs

 

[chevss454]

For what its worth whatifsports predict a Ravens win

2009 NFL Playoffs - Wild Card Preview From WhatIfSports.com

 

[condon84]

I disagree, although I still think that its possible that the Pats could win the SB I dont think the OL is the key. Brady needs people to throw the ball too. The WRs, TEs, RBs need to step up and make catches and plays. If they do that then I think you can say we have a good chance of winning the SB.

I do agree that all the teams in the playoffs are at the pretty much the same level. There isnt one dominant team that no one wants to play. The Chargers who are probably the hottest team in the NFL winning 11 in row, they can be beaten. Of their 11 wins only 3 were against playoff teams, and they have only beaten 4 all year long. Stats wise they are very even with the Pats on offense. Brady and Rivers are pretty much identical stats wise this year. Believe it or not the Pats have 500 more yards rushing than the Chargers and statistically the Pats defense is better than the Chargers.

The winner of the SB is there for the taking, whoever plays the best football from here on out will win. It is completely up for grabs

I hear this argument, but I don't agree with it. We won when we had Patten and Brown as our starting WRs in 01, then Branch and Brown in 03, and finally Branch and Givens in 04. And overall, if you look at the personnel that Brady threw to in those years, they don't compare to what we have now, even with Welker not playing. Moss alone tilts the field and gives us a HUGE advantage. Edelman, rookie he may be, is clearly a good receiver (almost like Deion Branch when he was a rookie although Edelman is far less productive because he didn't have as many opportunities). You also have to look at Faulk and how he's matured as a receiver. Watson is at his best right now as well. So the argument that Brady doesn't have anyone to throw to is something I'm not buying. Like I said, if Brady has time, he'll make teams pay. He'll make Aiken look good and even Stanback. Our OL needs to step and more importantly, stay healthy.

 

[Patriots2001]

God, what a dumb thread. Haven't we been talking about this all week with polls and ****?

We'll play until we lose or bring home the bling. Take it to the bank.

If it such a dumb thread then why did you participate ?? I think we all know the answer to that one.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I think for once as fans we dont know what to expect from the Pats this postseason. Any of the possibilities would not surprise me. I could see us losing to the Ravens this week and then I could see us winning the SB. It all depends on what Patriots team shows up. If they play a complete and full game they can beat any team in the league.

It just depends on if the Pats can catch fire during the playoffs.

Remember how miserable the Colts defense looked in the regular season, the year that Peyton finally got his first ring? By some miraculous turnaround and an out of his head performance by Bob Sanders, their defense totally turned it on and they took the championship in spite of everyone's expectations.

The Giants didn't look like worldbeaters either the year they won theirs, with the exception of their sack happy defense, their offense looked quite fallible. But they pulled it off.

Bottom line - if you have a good QB (check), good coaching (check), and get hot and a little bit lucky, you can definitely take home the Superbowl trophy. As for the last part, we'll just have to wait and see.

This is why they play the games. Sure the Colts and Chargers may look stronger on paper, but on Sunday the guys on the field will determine the outcome. I think the Pats have the talent to win some games and maybe win it all, but so do several other teams in the playoffs this year.

 

[Brady to Brown]

I think for once as fans we dont know what to expect from the Pats this postseason. Any of the possibilities would not surprise me. I could see us losing to the Ravens this week and then I could see us winning the SB. It all depends on what Patriots team shows up. If they play a complete and full game they can beat any team in the league.

This is how I feel. Lose to the Ravens or win the Superbowl, I have no idea.