Breakin' Down the Schedule...predictions and a few skinnys...

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

"Vs" means at home, not on the road.

And right now, even with Lord Favrequad, the Vikings are a bit short on talent for him to throw to. . . .

Whoops. Sorry about that. That actually changes my skinny and my record.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Hittin' the sauce a little early, hey?

Sober 17 years. Just naturally whacked!

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

The Ravens also look to have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL, at least as long as Reed is out.

How long IS Reed out?

 

[Kontradiction]

I think our ceiling is somewhere between 11-5 and 13-3 this season. Tough schedule with a lot of youngsters on both sides of the ball. I like our offense, though, and am willing to look past that hiccup in the first half of the Rams game. They should be able to carry us through our fair share of games.

 

[mgteich]

Wow! When was the last time a patriot team lost three teams to NFC teams? If you bet those three games together, you will get very, very long odds.

For what it's worth, here's my schedule:

Bengals - W 31-28 (1-0)
@Jets - W 21-6 (2-0)
Bills - W 28-14 (3-0)
@Dolphins - L 10-20 (3-1)
Bye (3-1)
Ravens - W 23-21 (4-1)
@Chargers - W 24-20 (5-1)
Vikings - L 7-34 (5-2)
@Browns - W 17-13 (6-2)
@Steelers - W 20-13 (7-2)
Colts - W 34-28 (8-2)
@Lions - L 13-24 (8-3)
Jets - W 27-24 OT (9-3)
@Bears - L 17-24 (9-4)
Packers - W 45-17 (10-4)
@Bills - L 7-13 (10-5)
Dolphins - W 28-17 (11-5)

 

[makoute]

For what it's worth, here's my schedule:

Bengals - W 31-28 (1-0)
@Jets - W 21-6 (2-0)
Bills - W 28-14 (3-0)
@Dolphins - L 10-20 (3-1)
Bye (3-1)
Ravens - W 23-21 (4-1)
@Chargers - W 24-20 (5-1)
Vikings - L 7-34 (5-2)
@Browns - W 17-13 (6-2)
@Steelers - W 20-13 (7-2)
Colts - W 34-28 (8-2)
@Lions - L 13-24 (8-3)
Jets - W 27-24 OT (9-3)
@Bears - L 17-24 (9-4)
Packers - W 45-17 (10-4)
@Bills - L 7-13 (10-5)
Dolphins - W 28-17 (11-5)

Going to the West coast against SD and winning is a tough. That might be a loss. Losing in Detroit I can't agree with. The Bengals will be a tough game too. The Pats haven't loss in Buffalo in years, I don't see that happening this year either.

 

[Deus Irae]

For what it's worth, here's my schedule:

Bengals - W 31-28 (1-0)
@Jets - W 21-6 (2-0)
Bills - W 28-14 (3-0)
@Dolphins - L 10-20 (3-1)
Bye (3-1)
Ravens - W 23-21 (4-1)
@Chargers - W 24-20 (5-1)
Vikings - L 7-34 (5-2)
@Browns - W 17-13 (6-2)
@Steelers - W 20-13 (7-2)
Colts - W 34-28 (8-2)
@Lions - L 13-24 (8-3)
Jets - W 27-24 OT (9-3)
@Bears - L 17-24 (9-4)
Packers - W 45-17 (10-4)
@Bills - L 7-13 (10-5)
Dolphins - W 28-17 (11-5)

Is Brady resting against the Vikings and Lions, and for the second game against the Bills?

 

[Bledsoe11]

Considering the strength of our schedule this year, I'm expecting somewhere between 9-12 wins depending on how the ball bounces in some of those games.

 

[JackBauer]

Is Brady resting against the Vikings and Lions, and for the second game against the Bills?

I'd have to think Brady would be nursing the hangover of a lifetime to pin 7 lousy points on the Bills.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

How long IS Reed out?

No one knows for sure yet, he's been on active PUP throughout camp after having hip surgery in May. I believe it's the same procedure Vince is undergoing that is usually a 4-6 month rehab. Initially it was reported as slow going. He also wants a new deal, which he is not likely getting from Ozzie, so his comback may be tempered by not wanting to screw himself out of a potential next deal in a year when he's going to be paid this year either way. They may carry him on the roster if they think he can be back within a month, or they may PUP him to save a roster spot in the interim and hope he's back in week 7.

 

[lostjumper]

I think we beat the Jets in the second game, as well as beat the vikings. As everyone has said, the vikings have alot of injury issues. In our 2nd game of the season, the Jets will be coming off an absolute pasting by a very physical Raven's team, and I think we take advantage of that.

 

[Ryan]

Not that I'm a great prognosticator or anything, but I figured I'd give this season prediction thing a try:

1) Pats 27, Bengals 17: Cinci is a good team, but the Pats are at home and it's been a while since the Pats have lost a season opener. I just think the Pats are a better team overall as well. 1-0.

2) Pats 23, Jets 16: Pats shut the Jets up (for a little while at least) in a tough, close game. 2-0.

3) Pats 31, Bills 14: Buffalo doesn't have much going for them offensively aside from some good backs. I don't see them being able to overcome their terrible QB play nor do I see them being able to stop Brady & co. from having a big day. 3-0.

4) Dolphins 28, Pats 24: Close loss on the road to a division foe that we usually have trouble with. 3-1 at the bye.

5) Bye

6) Pats 34, Ravens 13: Big bounce back win & revenge for the playoff loss earlier this year. 4-1.

7) Chargers 31, Pats 24: SD has given the Pats trouble over the years especially when playing there. Chargers are without some big names but still manage to pull it out in a back and forth game. 4-2.

8) Pats 28, Vikings 17: Solid win at home over Minnesota, who I see dropping off a bit from last year. I'm seeing the return of the Interception King this year, so this could be a big day for the secondary. 5-2.

9) Pats 31, Browns 20: Just have a feeling this will be one of those games where we all expect a huge blowout but Cleveland makes it semi-respectable. Still, a good win for the Pats to get them back on a mini winning streak. 6-2.

10) Pats 21, Steelers 20: The Pats always seem to beat Pitt when Brady starts. I'm expecting a kind of crazy, suspenseful game here with lots of controversial (aka bad calls) in favor of the Steelers. Pats find a way to pull it out with some Brady magic. 7-2.

11) Pats 35, Colts 24: Biggest game so far, and the Pats pull it out, getting a measure of payback for the last few games. It'll be a shootout for most of the game and Manning will have his chances late, but the Pats will make enough big plays to seal it. 8-2.

12) Pats 41, Lions 13: A nice blowout on Thanksgiving to an inferior (but improved) team. 9-2.

13) Pats 27, Jets 17: Jets are a huge disappointment by this time in the year. Pats sweep the season series and the dirt starts being shoveled on the Jets. 10-2.

14) Pats 24, Bears 20: I have a feeling this will end up being a closer-than-expected type of game. Bears aren't that bad and they get this one at home. Pats find a way to ice it late. 11-2.

15) Packers 30, Patriots 21: The win streak comes to an end at the hands of MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers & GB, who I believe will be the NFC's elite. Big day for Rodgers & their passing game and a disappointing home loss for the Pats. 11-3.

16) Pats 17, Bills 10: Pats always seem to have one of these types of games against Buffalo most years where they grind out a low scoring win. Pats get back on track. 12-3.

17) Pats 21, Dolphins 10: Pats earn the season split and clinch a top seed in the AFC. Dolphins come in playing for wildcard positioning but fall flat. Final standings 13-3.


So yes, I'm an optimistic kind of guy but hey, I think we have a very good-great team and I'm just going on gut feelings.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Is Brady resting against the Vikings and Lions, and for the second game against the Bills?

Why not? Green Bay is apparently planning to give Aaron Rodgers a rest when we play them. Maybe Bill is getting tips from Francona.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I think we beat the Jets in the second game, as well as beat the vikings. As everyone has said, the vikings have alot of injury issues. In our 2nd game of the season, the Jets will be coming off an absolute pasting by a very physical Raven's team, and I think we take advantage of that.

Plus you KNOW that BB simply wants to humiliate Brad Childress.

BB has absolutely ZERO respect for Chilly, and that predates the whole Garrett Mills incident.

 

[Metaphors]

Sun 9/12/2010 1:00 PM vs Bengals - Season opener at home. I like Brady and the new tight ends and what they will do for the offense. The absence of a decent running game won't really matter here. Pats 27, Bengals 13. (1-0)

Totally agree with your analysis. The Bengals are weak against the pass in the middle of the field so could be huge TE/Edelperson game. In a recurring theme this year, the Bengals don't have smaller, quicker WRs that could be a problem for the Pats corners.

Sun 9/19/2010 4:15 PM @ Jets - The Jets are probably not as good as everybody thinks they are, but they don't suck. At home. Week 2. This could go either way, but I like Coach Cheeseburger and his crew in this one. Jets 20, Pats 14 (1-1)

Without Holmes and Pace, the Jets have their work cut out for them. If Revis isn't there as well, this could get ugly with Lowery on the field a lot. I see no reason for a Jets win without a number of Pats turnovers. Not a sure thing and not likely without Revis.

Sun 9/26/2010 1:00 PM vs Bills - Thank God we have the Bills in our division! Pats 35, Bills 10 (2-1)

2nd straight on the road for the Bills after a trip to GB. Pats should win but this is the spot for a downer effort from the Pats after Super Bowl 44.5.

Mon 10/4/2010 8:30 PM @ Dolphins - Early October Monday night @ the Dolphins in that humid, steaming cesspool of a stadium! At least it's not a 1pm game! Pats go down anyway in a close one. Fins 17, Pats 13 (2-2)

Tough one for the Pats. Fins 2nd straight primetime division home game. Need to have the passrush situation sorted out by this game since a comfortable Henne with better receivers is bad news. I'm not sold on the Fins defense so I could see a higher scoring game...but the result could be the same without a rush to force Henne.

Sun 10/17/2010 1:00 PM vs Ravens - Payback from last year's playoffs? Probably not. The Ravens have a running game. The Pats have no D-Line. Especially this early in the season. They'll get better as the calendar turns, but not here. Ravens 27, Pats 17 (2-3)

The Ravens are a mess in the defensive backfield. Still don't know the extent of Reed's injury but this is week #6 (last PUP week). Can't see the Ravens winning a shoot-out on the road, particularly with the Pats coming off a bye.

Sun 10/24/2010 4:15 PM @ Chargers - The Pats are a team that has good front line talent but very little depth and VERY LITTLE room for error. Long plane ride home. Chargers 37, Pats 21 (2-4)

Can not see any good things for the Pats in this one. The Chargers should be undefeated entering this game. The Pats should be able to throw against the Bolts, but I'm not sure that will be enough.

Sun 10/31/2010 4:15 PM vs Vikings - At home against one of the strongest teams in the NFC and Fav-Ray. Pats 31, Vikings 27 (3-4)

2nd straight roadie for the Vikings after their huge matchup with the Pack. Don't think Harvin with be the only Minn player with headaches after this one.

Sun 11/7/2010 1:00 PM @ Browns - Now this one should be a gimme! Beat a cr@p team and spank Mangina at the same time. Belichick runs it up just for fun. Pats 45, Brown 14 (4-4)

While the Pats should win just based on talent, the Browns are coming off a bye. I can see this being closer than expected.

Sun 11/14/2010 8:20 PM @ Steelers - Sunday night at the Burgh? Tough one. The absence of a decent running game WILL really matter here! Pats could be in this game and could win if the running game surprises the she-ite Muslim out of me, but right now, I don’t see it. Steelers 20, Pats 17 (4-5)

Another game where the Pats TEs save the day. The Pitt LBs are really talented moving forward but aren't at their best moving in any other direction. The Steelers OL is a mess now and are unlikely to get better. I see a sloppy game for the Steelers and Brady having the weapons to control the game.

Sun 11/21/2010 4:15 PM vs Colts - Colts will be the clear favorite here and the Pats will surprise and start a late season streak where they run the table with 7 straight wins! Great game for your knockout pools, if you're still in it – everyone will be picking Indy. You pick NE and survive while a lot of folks go down! Pats 38, Colts 28 (5-5)

After 3 years of traveling to that midwest suckhole, the Pats should be able to handle the Colts on a chilly November afternoon/evening in Foxboro. The Colts are far enough from their bye that injuries to their undersized defense should be mounting again.

Thu 11/25/2010 12:30 PM @ Lions - Come on, are you kidding me? This one is this year's Titans game from last year. This game will be the catalyst for the NFL finally beginning proceedings to retract the Lions franchise. Pats 51, Lyings 3 (6-5)

Short week for both teams but the Lions are coming off 2 roadies (last one at Dallas) while the Pats are coming off a flag football game at home. I think the Lions will surprise some teams this year, but not this one.

Mon 12/6/2010 8:30 PM vs Jets - The payback game for week 2. Monday night. At home. Brady will be ON! Pats 33, Jets 17 (7-5)

Sanchez. Road. Night. December. Foxboro. Yikes!

Sun 12/12/2010 1:00 PM @ Bears - Pats will surprise Da Bears @ Soldier's Field, proving the old axiom that Belichick teams get stronger as the weather gets colder. Pats 21, Bears 10 (8-5)

The weather should keep the game relatively close, but the Bears have looked horrible and there could be significant distance between them and GB/Minn at this point. Playing out the string.

Sun 12/19/2010 8:20 PM vs Packers - A linebacking core that is growing up as the season rolls on makes life hell on Aaron Rodgers and the Pack offense. Pats 24, Packers 16 (9-5)

Nice to have this one at home, but if the Pats are going to lose a home game this may be it. The Pack can make this a shoot-out and that makes the situation very fluid.

Sun 12/26/2010 1:00 PM @ Bills - Thank you, God, for that little town called Buffalo! Pats 41, Bills 13 (10-5)

The Bills will be looking to play spoiler at this point. If the winds are blowing the goalpost sideways and the Bills can put together a reasonable running game, this may not be an easy one.

Sun 1/2/2011 1:00 PM vs Dolphins - Dolphins in Foxboro on a cold January day. God those South Florida athletes are such pu $$ ies! Pats 17, Fish 10 (11-5)

If the Pats need this one, I can't see the Fins handling the weather conditions well enough to win.

I can see a couple of problematic games (@SD, @MIA, GB) but the schedule seems workable to the point where a 12-4 record seems like a good possibility. It will all come down to health and the youngsters playing up to their abilities.