Article stating why it makes more sense to be the #4 seed

Have to play to win both games, if just to give yourself a shot at a bye in the event that Denver slips up.

The problem with this nonsense is that if the Colts thought like this in 2006 they would have been coming here to play the AFCCG instead of the RCA dome.
The 2005 Pats were not that great.
This team is different and if not for the replacement refs we wouldn't even be having this talk.
Top seeds are still in play and if not.
Colts
Steelers
Giants
All have won from the lower seeds, Pats can too.

I'm hoping RAC does us a favor and takes down the forehead for the Pats just before the playoffs.

I don't like manipulating wins & losses in order to get a lower seed. Didn't we try that once and it blew up in our faces (the year we lost to Baltimore at home, if I recall)? Just play the best you can, try to win every game to the max and let's see what happens.

miami with their front and being a division game wont be as easy a win that they would need think throwing it either i think

I'd rather be a #3 and watch to see if Baltimore or Pittsburgh can beat Houston while New England travels to Denver.

Then the Patriots can host the AFCCG and Pitt/Baltimore.

seriously? i think its common sense to figure out that in most cases in the 3rd and 4th seeds are inferior teams, but not this time. this is something the jets would do.

You all act as though the #2 seed is impossible. All that needs to happen is for Denver to lose 1 of their next 2 games!! And If the Pats win out the next 2 games, we're the #2 seed.:bricks:

CheeseMonkeys said:

You all act as though the #2 seed is impossible. All that needs to happen is for Denver to lose 1 of their next 2 games!! And If the Pats win out the next 2 games, we're the #2 seed.:bricks:

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Houston could also lose their last two... Very unlikely, but they do face two winning record teams.

We've seen crazier.

Here's what's going to happen:

The Patriots are going to win their remaining two games and will be the #2 or #3 seed. They're going to win 2 or 3 playoff games and then they are going to win the Super Bowl.

Everything else is just jibba jabba.

juxtapoz15 said:

The main problem I have with purposefully losing in week 17 is that we won't know the outcome of the Denver 4:30PM game. There is the potential that Denver could lose and we could have been the #2 seed and get the bye. If we lose at 1PM then Denver will have nothing to play for besides trying to keep momentum.

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Well, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think Belichick is going to read an unpersuasive article and base his strategy on a statistical anomaly with zero practical value.

The Patriots will play to win the games.

It's difficult to predict how the other teams will finish. As you stated, Denver could possibly lose a game- not likely, but possible. Baltimore may lose out as well, or at least drop one of the last two, so they Pats could still be #3. But the Baltimore issue is completely beside the point, and in fact, the idea of jostling with a team with lower position is stupid on many levels.

You play for the higher seed, PERIOD. Does anyone happen to remember a scenario in 2006 when the Colts finished with the #3 seed and the Patriots the #4 seed? What happened there??? I'm pretty sure that both teams made it to the AFCCG and the Patriots had to play in Indy. If only the Colts had read this article about the #3 seed curse hogwash, we would have another Super Bowl trophy!

Seriously, in reality there is no correlation to having a better chance of winning the Super Bowl with the #4 seed vs. the #3 seed, but there is a very practical and correct argument that the #3 seed is better. The higher seed is always preferable because of potential homefield advantage. If they played 500 NFL seasons and spit back the stats, you'd see a perfect arc showing the chances of winning the Super Bowl based on seed, with #1 at the top, #6 at the bottom, and a perfect distribution of seeding in between. Do not fall for these superstitious random factoids that say merely spit off past results and make no logical argument as to why that result is more likely in the future.

I almost hope the Patriots lose their next two, win two playoff games, and then have to play the AFCCG in Baltimore against a resurrected Ravens team just to make everyone realize how unbelievably insane they are acting.

Now, resting starters and not giving away gameplans, that's a different issue, so I understand if a team is not giving 100% because of other issues... but losing on purpose makes no sense.

CheeseMonkeys said:

You all act as though the #2 seed is impossible. All that needs to happen is for Denver to lose 1 of their next 2 games!! And If the Pats win out the next 2 games, we're the #2 seed.:bricks:

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Turnovers are the ONLY way Denver doesn't win the next 2 games

Cleveland has never won at Denver and Kansas city has Cassel and Quinn with no Bowe at WR....enough said

Denver can only beat themselves

PATRIOTSFANINPA said:

Turnovers are the ONLY way Denver doesn't win the next 2 games

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I started to post something like that about the Pats before the SF game, then deleted it because it was too trite.

When a team that clearly "should" win doesn't, either TOs are the cause, or else there's a general meltdown with TOs being one of the symptoms.

Very few exceptions.

upstater1 said:

I'd rather be a #3 and watch to see if Baltimore or Pittsburgh can beat Houston while New England travels to Denver.

Then the Patriots can host the AFCCG and Pitt/Baltimore.

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This is the scenario I like best but I honestly don't see Pitt or Bal beating the Texans. It's going to be up to us to beat both Denver and Houston to get to the SB no matter what. At least that's my opinion. With this in mind, dropping down to the 4th seed on purpose has some pros and cons depending on how you look at it.

If Denver is the team that scares you the most out of the two(which seems to be the general consensus around here), would you rather play them first when they've had a whole weeks rest?.. Sure they'll be rested but maybe a little rusty too, you never know. Bye weeks haven't been good to Manning, this isn't a fact, but he does seem to lose some rhythm in his first game after the bye.

Or would you rather play them second after they beat whoever they played in the divisional round?.. Maybe they'll get a little beat up in that game, or maybe even lose a player or two. But then again maybe they won't, and by now they have knocked the rust off and picked up some momentum again.

The thing is, you just never know. So the best thing to do is to just win out and let the chips fall where they may. While it would be nice to get a little help from the other teams, the Pats are a very talented team and they are coached by arguably the greatest coach of all time. If they come physically and mentally prepared to play, they can beat whoever they have to to get to the Super Bowl. It doesn't matter if the game is played in Denver or the moon.

Denver isn't losing. The Patriots should win out and take their chances in the playoffs. You don't want to start gambling with match ups. Just win.

Didn't we purposely lose the drop kick game and it backfired and we ended up unexpectedly playing Denver in Denver and we lost?

#4...hmmm i would actually like that..but we will be #3

Lavictoire said:

Didn't we purposely lose the drop kick game and it backfired and we ended up unexpectedly playing Denver in Denver and we lost?

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We lost the game to play jax instead of pitt @home so it worked perfectly fine.

Lavictoire said:

Didn't we purposely lose the drop kick game and it backfired and we ended up unexpectedly playing Denver in Denver and we lost?

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Not really. If the Pats got the 3 seed and beat the 6th seeded Steelers (which probably wouldn't have happened knowing that they won the Super Bowl that season), they would have played at Denver in the divisional round anyway. Getting the fourth seed was the only way they would have avoided Denver in the divisional round, actually.

Just curious, for those of you who want us to intentionly lose to the Dolphins do we tell the 46 guys who are playing to play bad or do we just make Brady, Wilfork Mayo ect inactive because that might no work. For the Fins this is the ultimate "on the bus' game. Nothing to play for traveling to freezing weather.

Mallett would probably throw for 300 yards an Ebner would have 3 picks.

The Broncos aren't any better than Houston it's a stupid idea.