Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups Heading Into Week 13

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

Just avoid the Ravens at all cost, Brady has a mental hurdle when it comes to that team.

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

Archeryaddict12 said:

Seattle idk. Now for our 3 losses, 2 have the same thing in common, and 1 was a combo of injuries and weather.

The last 2 losses, NFL has come out and said 2 calls should have been made, and they give us a couple shots inside the 10 against the jets if that penalty is called. In Carolina, yeah you know, bet we win that one. Bet we win 1 or both of those games.

Cincy: no gronk, hobbled amendola and we get the ball when its a down pour. The thing I heard collinsworth say, you can't judge this pats team now, because they are still growing together and getting better. We haven't played our best football and we haven't fielded all our starters, yet we beat NO and Denver? This team can beat anyone, especially when gronk is out there.

Bottom line, before our eyes, this team is quickly developing into a unstoppable force on offense, and the defense just held the best offense to 24pts. Even without all its starters healthy!! This team is dangerous, and that's not homerism. The only thing that's held us back are our own mistakes. Clean that up, I wouldn't bet against the pats. Underrated and under the radar coming into the playoffs.

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Mike Glennon and the Bucs shredded the Seattle D. Brady's got his tools and mojo back. I have every faith that on a neutral field, Brady will get it done against the Seahawks.

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

letekro said:

With a healthy DRC, Champ, and Julius Thomas, the Broncos are going to be a major concern, whether at home or on the road. I would also prefer to avoid NYJ and BALT as they are the kinds of defenses that have shut us down in the playoffs.

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julius thomas and DRC, yes, but not Champ...he's way past his prime. we were able to move the ball against Denver with DRC, but Julius Thomas is going to be tough to defend against.

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I want Balt to be the 6 seed, so they can take out DENVER(1 seed) so the Pats get to host them again for a rematch of the AFCCG

Balt beating DEN last year was supposed to be a gift for us because we had a darn home AFCCG....Pats just couldn't take advantage of the situation. Welker dropped that pass in the 3rd and Brady had that timeout gaffe before halftime and Pats just mentally collapsed--just a weird game. I'd still rather have NE play Balt at home than DEN on the road--I don't think NE can stop Julius Thomas, that guy is sick.

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

bostonia3333 said:

I want Balt to be the 6 seed, so they can take out DENVER(1 seed) so the Pats get to host them again for a rematch of the AFCCG

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Balt won't take out denver...their O is like a horror flick. Even with mannings noodle arm

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I know one thing...everyone here seemed to count BAL out even before the season even started, which not only seemed weird to me, it also seemed incredibly short-sighted.

I honestly believed that their defense would improve and that they made solid cap moves for the most part on that side of the ball. The real area that they screwed up on was allowing Anquan Boldin to leave on offense. That is the area where they aren't as good at--offense.

Defensively they are nasty as hell still, and I think that our game down there in week 16 is going to be the usual bloodbath; aside from the fact that I'm not nearly as concerned about stopping their offense. Losing Boldin killed them, and they probably cost themselves 2 full wins just with that move alone, which would have put them at 8-4 instead of 6-6.

Either way, everyone who said that they couldn't continue to compete because of all of their defensive losses was flat out wrong. Had they kept Boldin, they may have even improved upon their team of last year. Thankfully they didn't. All of the attention seemed to go on us for losing #83, but BAL is hurting much worse with their decision to let Boldin go for that 6 million dollars.

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

ausbacker said:

Mike Glennon and the Bucs shredded the Seattle D. Brady's got his tools and mojo back. I have every faith that on a neutral field, Brady will get it done against the Seahawks.

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Absolutely....

SEA outside of their home stadium is still tough with that defense, but they aren't nearly as "unbeatable" as so many average fans seem to think. Hell, we blew 3 easy pts right before the half and still put up 23 out in the northwest last season. Had Tavon Wilson not pulled a..."Tavon Wilson," we'd have easily won that game.

Really, out of any NFC opponent, I'd rather not face N.Orleans--but they too are much different away from their home stadium/dome. I think we could match up with CAR, DAL/PHI, DET/CHI, SF etc just fine.

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I think Home Field is going to be more important for them this season but I like their chances against any of the teams they might face, and if they do make it to the Super bowl there is no coach or Quarterback you want outside in NY in February.

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Seahawks are tough but not in the frigid cold of NY in February, and that goes for EVERY NFC contender - Seahawks, Saints, etc.

This is a year where getting to the final game is going to be a HUGE advantage for a team like ours.

Not sure what the best possible scenario is. On one hand, I'm not scared of Denver at all. Without those flukey turn overs, we would of blown them out last week. They might be an easy ticket for us, but I'd want to play them at home.

The #1 seed plays the #6? And the #2 plays the #5? I always get confused about how the seeds play each other.

So if Kansas City beats Denver this week, Denver drops all the way down to the #5 seed and KC takes 1. I honestly think that's a good path for us, because we may not even see Denver since that's a lot of play off games for Peyton to not choke in with an extra round of games, and KC probably wouldn't last long enough to benefit from the top seed in the AFC Championship. That might give us the Colts or Cinci at home?

Need to make it through the AFC Championship game this year.
No quarterback in the mix is better suited to play at an elite level in NY winter weather than ours.

So excited but don't want to say too much and jinx anything!

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Was really hoping we would somehow get the Squeelers but that ship obviously sailed.

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SalemPats said:

I'm hoping that the Titans don't make the playoffs. Pollard has not been too kind to us

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He's the kiss of death.....

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KC is exposed and cooked. The Chiefs will make it, but likely only as a high wildcard. Likely, one and done (depends on if they play the Colts, a team that has looked phenomenal but now seems to be in a death spiral without Wayne). They may finish the season on a 2-5 run.

The Ravens don't scare me this year. The Steelers have struggled on offense this year (17th in points with an extra game), with a worse O-line than they typically have, yet just threw for 260 yards on this good defense, most of which came in the last 1 1/2 quarters when the Cravens needed to hold a decent lead. I am not convinced the Ravens make the playoffs, let alone a playoff run (people like to ask the question for the Pats, but what good teams have they beaten this year?). I would take a playoff game with the Ravens just to watch the Pats send them packing.

As for the Broncos and Seahawks, they can score so they would represent the toughest playoff competition in games likely decided by the final drive. If the Pats don't shoot themself in the leg, I have no doubt the Pats can win those games. If they do blow up in a game, even a team like the Bills can beat them. They have had tough wins and losses this year, but they have never been out of a game.

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

PATS16N0 said:

Seahawks are tough but not in the frigid cold of NY in February, and that goes for EVERY NFC contender - Seahawks, Saints, etc.

This is a year where getting to the final game is going to be a HUGE advantage for a team like ours.

Not sure what the best possible scenario is. On one hand, I'm not scared of Denver at all. Without those flukey turn overs, we would of blown them out last week. They might be an easy ticket for us, but I'd want to play them at home.

The #1 seed plays the #6? And the #2 plays the #5? I always get confused about how the seeds play each other.

So if Kansas City beats Denver this week, Denver drops all the way down to the #5 seed and KC takes 1. I honestly think that's a good path for us, because we may not even see Denver since that's a lot of play off games for Peyton to not choke in with an extra round of games, and KC probably wouldn't last long enough to benefit from the top seed in the AFC Championship. That might give us the Colts or Cinci at home?

Need to make it through the AFC Championship game this year.
No quarterback in the mix is better suited to play at an elite level in NY winter weather than ours.

So excited but don't want to say too much and jinx anything!

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There are three things to focus on right now regarding seedings and matchups: (1) Root for KC to beat Denver this weekend. (2) Root for KC to lose to SD or Indy or Wash or Oak. (3) Patriots take care of business against Tex, Phins, Bills, Cle, Bal.

Those are the important conversations/considerations right now. But if these 3 things don't happen? The time it took for those to play out it will have cleared the fog away from who makes the playoffs, out of those teams who is hot, what are their injuries. December is often a defining month for a playoff team. Let's see who puts it into high gear in December to truly earn the "I'd prefer not to play ______".

Re: Playoff Picture & Potential Matchups

Give me the Titans and Fitzmagic

Pretty much held serve today.. Next week we should have a better handle

The more and more I look at this, the more I think the ravens are def making the playoffs....

Ugh...