Do you believe...

[VJCPatriot]

That if the Pats had gone into the playoffs with 1 loss already under the belt, that they would have had a better chance to win the Super Bowl?
In other words do you believe that the pressure, and mystique, of having to finish off the perfect season affected the Pats performance in the final game?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I kind of think that it's superstitious to believe that a Pats team that had finished the regular season 15-1 would have been any better off in the Super Bowl. But psychologically speaking, it's hard to measure how much of a difference it would have made to be 17-1 vs 18-0 going into the Superbowl against the Giants.

Your HONEST answer? If the Pats go into the SB as 17-1, do they have a better chance to win?

 

[Disco Volante]

No.

Being 17-1 does not make the offensive line better in the Super Bowl.

 

[Canada's #1 Pats Fan]

Well, after the game did it look like the Pats were playing to win or playing not to lose?

 

[VJCPatriot]

Well, after the game did it look like the Pats were playing to win or playing not to lose?

It depends on your perspective, but the Pats definitely did not look like their usual selves. I was expecting anything but what I saw in the Super Bowl. You still didn't answer the question though. Do you think the Pats would have fared any better, had they gotten that first loss of the season out of the way before the playoffs started?

 

[Mr.Muhozi]

No.

Being 17-1 does not make the offensive line better in the Super Bowl.

could not have said it better myself

 

[Double G]

Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes. As you pointed out, they did not look right all game long, from moment they stepped on the field to the last second (literally).

They looked like a team playing not to lose instead of playing to win; the Giants scored first with the FG, then they answered with a TD, then nothing until the Giants scored their go ahead TD, strange, strange, strange.........................

 

[PatsFanSince74]

all i know is that the team that had won three sb's by playing smash-mouth "patriots football", by taking one game at a time and by grinding it out on and off the field, was all of a sudden talking about playing the "most important game of our lives" and playing for "ever" before SB XLII.

so, yes, i do believe that the pressure of playing for "19--0," for which the Patriots management had apparently applied for a copyright, had a negative impact on the team and played some part in their unexpectedly bad performance last sunday. (i said out here in the fall that I thought they would be better off losing a game or two during the regular season and taking the pressure off.)

however, this is all now moot. it's time to move on.

 

[fgssand]

Looking back, you make a great point - all of the f'in "EVER" talk, put way too much of a burden on them.

That talk was way out of character for this team...so many things leading up to the game that week was just not as things had been during the other three wins.

All of that being said, they played like crap, from start to finish - Defense set the tone with a 10 minute back breaker followed by one touchdown and then 33 minutes of nothingness. How does the greatest offense of all time allow 33 minutes to go by doing nothing??

Then, they finally do something and we get to watch the football gods deny 19-0 as if it just was not meant to happen for NE on that day.

Movin on to next season.......

 

[Truck]

Maybe

I think maybe the talk just worn them down as a whole in the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Maybe they were too committed to keepign the streak alive that they got burnt out at the end (a small win over an injury ridden chargers team, then collapsing against the giants)

In the first half of the season, they dominated every team they played. In the second half, there were some close calls

 

[SammyBlueCat]

I just hope they reload and win 12-14 regular season games and all of the post season games next year.

 

[Patradomous]

I do.I think a certain amount of satifaction had settled in with the team.
If they lost late in the season everyon would have been crapping al over them and they would have retained their edge.
To me thats all that was missing from them to win the game their "edge."

 

[Rocky]

Interesting question. Towards the end of year when they played Pittsburgh, I remember thinking about how it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if they lost. They were most like already going to be the number one seed, and I knew the pressure of 19-0 could be a bad thing. Did the fact that they were 18-0 maybe give them some sort of false confidence in the Super Bowl? It certainly seemed like it. It didn't even look like the same team out there. Where was the sense of desperation? They were not the more hungry team.

 

[upstater1]

Yes.

I think the pressure got to them.

 

[PatSunday]

I created a poll yesterday that said would you rather we beat the Giants to seal a perfect regular season and lose to them in the Super Bowl to be 18-1, or lose our undefeated record to the Giants in regular season but then beat them in the Super Bowl.

A mod deleted the poll, but the point of it wasn't the answer (obviously, you'd rather win the Super Bowl) but to show how that would have been a much, much different situation. We would be the underdogs.

 

[PATRIOT64]

Its a question with an obvious answer...

15-1 would have meant

1- NO 19-0 Book pre published
2- NO Trademark of 19-0 giving the Giants even more Bulletin Board material
3- NO pressure to be the best ever
4- Likely there would have been no talk about the spygate issue from previous years which was designed to taint and disrupt NEs SB appearance and ruin the perfect season or at least bother the team somewhat.

NO DOUBT 15-1 very well might have made a difference

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Its a question with an obvious answer...

15-1 would have meant

1- NO 19-0 Book pre published
2- NO Trademark of 19-0 giving the Giants even more Bulletin Board material
3- NO pressure to be the best ever
4- Likely there would have been no talk about the spygate issue from previous years which was designed to taint and disrupt NEs SB appearance and ruin the perfect season or at least bother the team somewhat.

NO DOUBT 15-1 very well might have made a difference

I'm inclined to agree, and was back in November as well. The problem, of course, is that this brings into play the "c" word as a description of what happened last Sunday and I find that hard to do.

 

[Disco Volante]

Tragic pre-season death of a teamate? Check.
Star QB's ex-girlfriend giving birth to his child during the pre-season games? Check.
Team leader Safety suspended for HGH? Check.
Weeks without two of our most important defensive players? Check.
A seemingly declining WR with a questionable history in his first season with a new team? Check.
Biggest fine in NFL history / Whole legacy questioned during Week 2 of the season? Check.
Overcoming seemingly impossible odds in hostile Indy/Baltimore environments? Check.
Hall of Fame coach requesting asterisk be included with our season? Check.
Putting together a 21-0 run to obtain the first 16-0 season in NFL history? Check.
Achieving historic QB/WR TD records with that 16-0 season on the line still? Check.

If there’s any team in – not just the NFL – but sports in general that can handle pressure it’s the New England Patriots.

We successfully handled the pressure for 18 games and 59 minutes.

I doubt “pressure” was the reason our defense collapsed on the final drive, it was just a case of great execution and ridiculous luck by the Giants. Just as we were ridiculously somehow able to come out of Baltimore with a win.

 

[eom]

no
.

 

[mgteich]

My honest answer is that they would indeed have had a better chance in the SB if they had lost to the Ravens. After that game, everyone thought that they were invinceable. They had lost a bit of their hunger and edge.
But stop torturing yourself.

That if the Pats had gone into the playoffs with 1 loss already under the belt, that they would have had a better chance to win the Super Bowl?
In other words do you believe that the pressure, and mystique, of having to finish off the perfect season affected the Pats performance in the final game?

Honestly, I'm not sure. I kind of think that it's superstitious to believe that a Pats team that had finished the regular season 15-1 would have been any better off in the Super Bowl. But psychologically speaking, it's hard to measure how much of a difference it would have made to be 17-1 vs 18-0 going into the Superbowl against the Giants.

Your HONEST answer? If the Pats go into the SB as 17-1, do they have a better chance to win?

 

[PF1996]

Yes, yes, 1,000 times yes. As you pointed out, they did not look right all game long, from moment they stepped on the field to the last second (literally).

They looked like a team playing not to lose instead of playing to win; the Giants scored first with the FG, then they answered with a TD, then nothing until the Giants scored their go ahead TD, strange, strange, strange.........................

Actually, I thought they played more arrogant than they did "afraid to lose". I think playing the Giants a second time and the way they won the game the first time made them complacent and arrogant. I wish they had eeked out a 24/21 win in the first game and had all their starters. I think the fact that they scored 38 when they were "playing tight" and missing starters made the offense think they could do anything they wanted and they played with that stubborn arrogance.

Looking back, you make a great point - all of the f'in "EVER" talk, put way too much of a burden on them.

That talk was way out of character for this team...so many things leading up to the game that week was just not as things had been during the other three wins.

All of that being said, they played like crap, from start to finish - Defense set the tone with a 10 minute back breaker followed by one touchdown and then 33 minutes of nothingness. How does the greatest offense of all time allow 33 minutes to go by doing nothing??

Then, they finally do something and we get to watch the football gods deny 19-0 as if it just was not meant to happen for NE on that day.

Movin on to next season.......

I also didn't like the "ever" talk, blah, blah but I think it reflected more a belief that they had already won rather than a fear of losing. I think the offense was overconfident and thought the game was won and it was only a matter of them cementing their place in history with a blowout win. I think if they had felt the pressure to complete the season, the coaches would have adjusted quicker and shown more concern with getting points rather than completing a big pass play to Moss. Belichick's total focus on the defense, despite the early struggles of the offense, is the best illustration of this point.

Yes.

I think the pressure got to them.

How so? Players didn't fumble the ball, Brady didn't throw interceptions, WRs didn't drop passes. The D played their 2nd best game since Buffalo. Nothing in the Pats play suggests that the pressure got to them. Well, maybe the false starts but that's seems to be the norm for Matt Light these days.

Tragic pre-season death of a teamate? Check.
Star QB's ex-girlfriend giving birth to his child during the pre-season games? Check.
Team leader Safety suspended for HGH? Check.
Weeks without two of our most important defensive players? Check.
A seemingly declining WR with a questionable history in his first season with a new team? Check.
Biggest fine in NFL history / Whole legacy questioned during Week 2 of the season? Check.
Overcoming seemingly impossible odds in hostile Indy/Baltimore environments? Check.
Hall of Fame coach requesting asterisk be included with our season? Check.
Putting together a 21-0 run to obtain the first 16-0 season in NFL history? Check.
Achieving historic QB/WR TD records with that 16-0 season on the line still? Check.

If there’s any team in – not just the NFL – but sports in general that can handle pressure it’s the New England Patriots.

We successfully handled the pressure for 18 games and 59 minutes.

I doubt “pressure” was the reason our defense collapsed on the final drive, it was just a case of great execution and ridiculous luck by the Giants. Just as we were ridiculously somehow able to come out of Baltimore with a win.

Agree that pressure didn't get to us, disagree with "great execution and ridiculous luck" by Giants. The defense screwed up that last drive and not just with the interceptions. The ball Manning threw to Tyree hung up in the air, yet not ONE Pats player reacted to it. The Giants completed two 3rd and 10s where the receivers were WIDE OPEN. Giants won because their defense played with more intensity, their offense took advantage of our slow and stupid secondary/linebackers, and our coaches got too arrogant.