7-2 at the bye: how many more regular season losses for the Pats?

betterthanthealternative said:

12-4 doesn't bring the #2 seed automatically.

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If they beat Indy it pretty much does.

The Film Don't Lie - espnBoston

We lead the league in false starts. That is definitely something I'm glad to hear they are working on.

betterthanthealternative said:

This isn't just about beating out Denver for HFA. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indy have light schedules and could end up at 12-4 or even 13-3. Not likely for any one of them, but not unusual if one of them pulls it off. Only Indy has to play us.

12-4 doesn't bring the #2 seed automatically.

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I'd be surprised if the Steelers do. Mike Tomlin teams have a pretty obvious history at this point with not preparing his team for bottom feeders. Steelers will drop some games they should win. If we played them in the post season though, that would be beautiful. Steelers are practically a free win for Tom.

The only games I can see them losing for the rest of the season is against IND & GB. They're not impossible to win by any means though, but if they are going to lose in the 2nd half of the seasons it most likely will be in one of those 2 games.

i got losses at San Diego and Green Bay, 12-4 to the bank.Honestly once you reach the AFC championship, home field advantage is overrated. If we play the broncos fully healthy in their house i think we beat them.

I predicted they would be 13-3 or 12-4 before the season started and I am pretty much standing by that, although I can understand the enthusiasm about the way they have been playing of late.

Everything seems to be clicking in all three phases and the secondary has a swagger I haven't seen since the Ty Law/Rodney Harrison days. (And those were some damn good days!)

Looking at it game-by-game:

@ Colts - This could be a tough one, but if the Pats secondary plays against Luck the way they played against Manning, it could also be a blowout. I would feel much more confident about this game if it was in Foxboro.

Prediction: Patriots 30, Colts 21

vs. Lions - This game has a scare factor for me. Detroit is very good defensively - #5 against the pass; #2 against the run; and #1 overall (based on YPG). Then again, Denver came in playing well on defense, as well, and look what happened there!

Prediction: Patriots 24, Lions 10

@ Packers - I hate this game. On the road, 4:25pm start, Lacy, Rodgers.

Prediction: Packers 27, Patriots 20

@ Chargers. Did the Dolphins expose the Chargers? Is Miami that good or did the Chargers just lay an egg? The Chargers have it pretty easy leading up to their Sunday night matchup against New England (Raiders & Rams @ home; @ the Ravens), so we won't really know until we get there.

Prediction: Patriots 45, Chargers 27

vs. Dolphins - This has payback game written all over it. The carriage turns back into pumpkin for the Dolphins on this day. (God, I would love to replay that second half in the season opener @ Miami with the Pats where they are today!)

Prediction: Patriots 38, Dolphins 9

@ Jets - The Jets suck, right? So why does going into the Meadowlands still scare me? I would go as far as to say this is a "trap game" except Bill Belichick doesn't really allow that to happen to his teams much. The Jets might be playing for Rex Ryan's job or for a new coach altogether. Either way, this game gives me the willies!

Prediction: Patriots 20, Jets 17

vs. Bills - The Bills have been a nice story this season and have stayed in the mix longer than usual. That said, unless the Patriots have everything locked up by this game (Conference home field, division, etc.), and just sit all their starters, I do not see Buffalo coming into New England and winning or even keeping it close.

Prediction: Patriots 51, Bills 14

RhodyPatriot said:

Nah, I'm just a REAL football fan. I don't suffer from these wild mood swings so many of you suffer from.
Loved the win against Denver. That was such a fun game. Loved seeing the "Manning Face". That was great!! But now suddenly this team is unbeatable and going to the Super Bowl?? Really?? How about we take one game at a time and see how things play out. Sorry but I'm not sold on this Patriot defense at all. I saw the Patriots struggle even when blitzing to lay a hand on a 37 yr old statue named Peyton Manning. What do you think Andrew Luck will do to that defense??
Mark my words, Brandon Browner will make a mistake (blown coverage or a flag) that will KILL this team at some point this season. Love his swagger but Browner plays a dangerously loose game that will come back to bite this team at a critical time.

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Damn mam, I hope your crystal ball is broken

Got to say 4 or more buddy.

We beat BUF and NYJ, but we lose to SD, GB, IND, DET, MIA and finish 9-7.

Hopefully that will be enough to make the 6th seed, but this may spell the end for NE's run.

I'm surprised some think the Pats are going to blow out the Colts. One, the game is not in Foxboro. It's in Indy, and that's been a bit of a house of horrors for the Pats - 2006 AFC Championship, 4th and 2 game, Super Bowl XLVI. Two, the Colts have the top offense in the league, and no one has really come close to stopping them. Even in the Steeler game debacle, they put up 34 points and 448 yards. The Pats might win, but it's not a game I would simply check off with a W. Yes, the Pats took care of Manning and the Broncos, but Manning rarely plays well in Foxboro.

Colorado said:

I'm surprised some think the Pats are going to blow out the Colts. One, the game is not in Foxboro. It's in Indy, and that's been a bit of a house of horrors for the Pats - 2006 AFC Championship, 4th and 2 game, Super Bowl XLVI. Two, the Colts have the top offense in the league, and no one has really come close to stopping them. Even in the Steeler game debacle, they put up 34 points and 448 yards. The Pats might win, but it's not a game I would simply check off with a W. Yes, the Pats took care of Manning and the Broncos, but Manning rarely plays well in Foxboro.

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Colorado 2006 was a bs game by the refs, and the pats suffered from the flu that game. The latest super bowl we had a hobbled gronk and a Wes welker dropped pass. 2 of those should have been w's. The 4th and 2 game has its conspiracies, but you don't win every game at a certain stadium. Pats have gone in a clobbered the colts at their house also.

We have a bye week, the pats have one of the best secondaries in the league, and the run defense looked pretty decent last week. The pats can slow this offense down considerable

Archeryaddict12 said:

Colorado 2006 was a bs game by the refs, and the pats suffered from the flu that game. The latest super bowl we had a hobbled gronk and a Wes welker dropped pass. 2 of those should have been w's. The 4th and 2 game has its conspiracies, but you don't win every game at a certain stadium. Pats have gone in a clobbered the colts at their house also.

We have a bye week, the pats have one of the best secondaries in the league, and the run defense looked pretty decent last week. The pats can slow this offense down considerable

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The colts are also on a bye. Not saying we cant win but we have seen each game is its own entity. Those old indy games dont matter. Luck will offer a couple of picks but that kid can make plays and doesnt fold like his predecessor.
And our defense always plays average vs mobile QBs, at least recently. BB is so concerned about them getting out of the pocket that its a lot of soft stuff. Good thing we dont care about their running game.
This by no means is a gimme.

SVN said:

The colts are also on a bye. Not saying we cant win but we have seen each game is its own entity. Those old indy games dont matter. Luck will offer a couple of picks but that kid can make plays and doesnt fold like his predecessor.
And our defense always plays average vs mobile QBs, at least recently. BB is so concerned about them getting out of the pocket that its a lot of soft stuff. Good thing we dont care about their running game.
This by no means is a gimme.

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No it's not, but it isn't unreasonable to expect a W given our situation and at our current level of playing