Do we have a chance for the #1 seed?

[BradyManny]

Yeah, it seems far fetched at first, but check out the scheds the rest of the way for our competition:

Colts have 3 tough games left, can easily see them going 12-4:

at Jacksonville
Cincy
at Houston
Miami

Chargers have 3 tough games left:

Denver
Kansas City
at Seattle
Arizona

Baltimore clearly has the easiest sched of the teams, but still could find an L in there:

at Kansas City
Cleveland
at Pittsburgh
Buffalo

 

[BelichickFan]

After today I'm just hoping to win the division :explative

 

[chunkypony]

I believe the better question in this situation is:

Does it matter? Can WE win out?

that is the real question i have at this point.

 

[Kdo5]

No...#2 possibly but we cant play nail biters like this till the end of the season. We need to beat the Fins next week. It is a huge...HUGE game.

 

[BradyManny]

I believe the better question in this situation is:

Does it matter? Can WE win out?

that is the real question i have at this point.

A win is a win, even when we were down 8, I knew we'd still get the W.

 

[mosi]

I believe the better question in this situation is:

Does it matter? Can WE win out?

that is the real question i have at this point.

I only fear the home game. We will win in Miami and on the road in Jacksonville and in Tenn. We are a different team at home versus being at home. I just don't get it.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

The way this team looks, we should be hoping to hold off the Jets in our division.

We will lose next week if we play half as bad as today.

Yeah, if we win out and all the other good teams roll over, we could be the 1st seed. I don't think that will happen.

 

[edgecy]

I don't want a #1 or a #2. If possible I want us to play on the road the entire playoff because it's obvious we just don't like our home field advantage.

 

[cclocke]

You can't say that the Patriots would be better off with a #3 or #4 seed then a bye in the first round. No comparison.

Also, a loss by Miami today would ruin any playoff hopes they are holding on to. A loss today would probably make it an easier game for us next week.

 

[chunkypony]

A win is a win, even when we were down 8, I knew we'd still get the W.

I understand that a win is a win, i didnt say that we didnt win today. That isnt the point. The point is we beat a team by 1TD today that we should have beat by more. The TO's dont stop coming.

Can we continue at the pace that we are going and expect to win the #1 seed? no.

Can we continue at the pace we are going and expect to win out? that is the question.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

A win is a win, even when we were down 8, I knew we'd still get the W.

oh please..... this is not the patriots of years past. look at their turnover ratio. the superbowl teams never did that.

it doesn't seem like they have been the same since the denver palyoff game.

 

[cclocke]

One positive to look at the last few weeks is that we are causing a lot more turnovers then earlier in the season.

 

[rabthepat]

oh please..... this is not the patriots of years past. look at their turnover ratio. the superbowl teams never did that.

it doesn't seem like they have been the same since the denver palyoff game.

Ya, I thought the Denver play off performance was a fluke in terms on turn overs but it actually was the start of a trend.

 

[RayClay]

I don't think we've played our best. And I think Vrabel and Bruschi are invincible and immortal. *crosses fingers*

 

[FloridaPatsFan]

I don't want a #1 or a #2. If possible I want us to play on the road the entire playoff because it's obvious we just don't like our home field advantage.

But that 1 extra week off historically has been huge for teams in the playoffs. The winning percentage for teams with a bye is ridiculous. I'll take the bye and be happy with a #1 or #2 seed.

 

[chris66]

I think we have something like 17-18 turnovers at home this year, and we are killing people on the road, I think I like this teams chances on the road more than at home, but a bye would be cool to have

 

[brdmaverick]

we still have to play the Phins and Jags, and we also have to go on the road to play that pesky Titans team.

As much as I would love us to, I don't think we will win out, and I think at best we are looking at a 3 seed (overlapping Baltimore)

 

[BradyManny]

oh please..... this is not the patriots of years past. look at their turnover ratio. the superbowl teams never did that.

it doesn't seem like they have been the same since the denver palyoff game.

I'll grant you the turnovers, but winning ugly was a staple for the Pats for sometime.

I really think the 04 season changed the fan's expectations completely. We were totally dominant that year and I think it makes us forget that, at least to me, the identity of this team was winning scrappy games in the last quarter.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe2003.htm

From week 5 - week 14, all of those wins were tough games and a couple of them were flatout ugly.

 

[RayClay]

You can improve ball security. If that's our biggest problem and we're 9-3, I'd say we're looking damn good.

Only way we could look better would be to be 10-2.

 

[RayClay]

I'll grant you the turnovers, but winning ugly was a staple for the Pats for sometime.

I really think the 04 season changed the fan's expectations completely. We were totally dominant that year and I think it makes us forget that, at least to me, the identity of this team was winning scrappy games in the last quarter.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe2003.htm

From week 5 - week 14, all of those wins were tough games and a couple of them were flatout ugly.

A lot of ugly, sloppy games that year. It's really not that long ago that we have to keep arguing against the years we "always looked good" or whatever.

We had one dominating season. The other two bowls and a few bad bounces could have cost us 5-6 games.

In 2003, this Detroit game would have been one of our easiest wins.