Does anyone else feel like we're losing this one?

[fnordcircle]

You guys who are worried:

If Tom Brady is significantly hampered or doesn't have to play, do you think the rest of the team is going to shrug their shoulders and just give up?

Hell ****ing no. Have you followed the Patriots? They haven't been a gutless team since 2011. If Brady's injury means he'll be struggling the rest of the team is going to rise to the goddamn occasion.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Whatever other ****ty circumstances are happening, we still have Blake ****ing Bortles coming to Foxboro. Please don't lose sight of that. Yes, it's a losable game: if we could lose to the Ravens in 2011 and the Jets in 2010, we can certainly lose this one. But of all the matchups we could conceivably have right now, I'm fine with it being this one.

 

[RIpats88]

Gasper seconds ago on 98.5..."unnamed Jacksonville player said BEFORE the Pittsburgh game that they (Jacksonville) fear the Pittsburgh game more than a game Vs New England. Said player thinks they match up better Vs NE than they do Vs Pittsburgh"...the player feels NE is an easier match-up... This concerns me now... And I do recall back in camp w those stupid ****ing joint practices there were lots of reports about the Jacksonville secondary locking down NE receivers...

you are concerned because a player on another teams thinks they can beat the patriots?

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I am always pessimistic but we win. I just can't see us letting this opportunity go to waste. I expect tommy to be good enough. Our defense will play well.

 

[RIpats88]

jags defense this, jags defense that....thats all I've been hearing all week from the media. Its almost as if they forget that the Jags offense has to still go out and score against the patriots defense.

a defense that despite the first 4 weeks has been pretty good. and just manhandled the titans last week.

everyone who points to the 45 point game against Pitt also forgets its the same team that played some of the worst football I had ever seen and mustered 10pts against the bills the week prior.

Blake Bortles still has to score against the patriots...and I am sure Bill is not going to give him the easy throws the steelers did.

 

[Tony2046]

the offense is going to need to stay on the field and sustain drives, whether its Brady at less than 100% or Hoyer...

Dude. I don't share the same fear of ghosts as you do. I've been watching Brady his entire career. I know he's going to play Sunday and he's going to figure out a way to get this team to the Super Bowl. No doubt in my mind.

This week has been nothing more than a bunch of posts freaking out over speculative tweets.

And you're wrong. It's the Jags offense that has to stay on the field. It's the Jags who have to keep Brady on the sideline.

 

[Tony2046]

Even if so, Jags could score points on defense. They’re known for their turnovers.

Nope. They are known for feasting on two of the three crap teams in their division. Against the rest of the competition they are no better than the Pats.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

No! Not at all.

 

[bostonia3333]

I think the defense needs to not necessarily win the game but be the better half of the team , kind of like the performance they had in the 2007 AFCCG vs SD. The Brady injury is real and has a gronk SB46 similarity to it. This game feels like 20-16 Pats

 

[ashley]

I just can't get past the fact that the Jags lost twice to the Titans and also looked horrible against Buffalo.... I'm not that nervous now, but I'm sure come Sunday that will change.

 

[sb1]

I feel like the stars are all aligned for the NFL to pull a " story line" stunt, Clete as ref, the Jags with Coughlin, a **** QB with a stellar D, this one feels like its a loss.

I doubt the NFL would go out of their way to push the one team out of the playoffs that would prevent a likely ratings catastrophe in the Super Bowl.

 

[sb1]

I just can't get past the fact that the Jags lost twice to the Titans and also looked horrible against Buffalo.....

And lost to Jimmy’s team.

 

[sb1]

Ill be straight: I'm very very worried right now. Mainly about Brady. If he's not playing, the D would need to have the game of a lifetime. They'd need multiple pick sixes. They haven't had a pick six in over four years.

In short, I have zero confidence in Brian Hoyer. Even if they win, thumb injuries don't heal that quickly. Hoyer isn't beating anyone in the SB.

Hoyer isn’t that much of a drop off from the other QBs left in the playoffs if he is at all.

And let’s not pretend the Jax offense is the Manning Colts.

 

[AtomicDawg]

Think of this game and this performance by this man and then think that he will be pretty good on Sunday. The Pats were close to winning this game. Because he is pretty damn good. The other guys do not have a guy that has proven himself to go through a gauntlet like this game as of yet. That more than anything is what has me confident. Throughout whatever ailment he may have, whatever the opposing defense puts out there, he will get back up and perform to the best of his ability. That's all I need frankly.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Hoyer is not as bad as you think. He is not great, and hopefully Brady is playing. But it is one game, I think the Pats could pull it off with Hoyer or less than 100% Brady for sure.

Hoyer can come in with a 3 score lead with 2mins and ‘hand’ off the ball

 

[RIpats88]

here to calm your nerves. brady looked good in practice.

 

[fnordcircle]

Hoyer isn’t that much of a drop off from the other QBs left in the playoffs if he is at all.

And let’s not pretend the Jax offense is the Manning Colts.

Other than Brady the only one who I'd say is clearly better than Hoyer is Bortles, when he's channeling Good Blake.

Hoyer, in the right system, is at least on Keenum's level and better than Foles.

Any given Sunday, yadda yadda, but with Hoyer under center we're still a better team, by far, than the Jags and Philly and on a par with Minny.

 

[Uptown]

Is Google Trying to Tell Us Something?

Facebook And Google Already Have Vikings-Patriots SB

 

[Vindicate]

Think of this game and this performance by this man and then think that he will be pretty good on Sunday. The Pats were close to winning this game. Because he is pretty damn good. The other guys do not have a guy that has proven himself to go through a gauntlet like this game as of yet. That more than anything is what has me confident. Throughout whatever ailment he may have, whatever the opposing defense puts out there, he will get back up and perform to the best of his ability. That's all I need frankly.

I mean I certainly know this picture but, uh.. *cough* why not refresh some of the others *ahem* who don't know?

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I'm nervous. I don't chalk it up to the Jags being 9 feet tall and bullet-proof, but to the nature of the beast: Each game gets seemingly more important. Each possible loss will feel like a higher-consequence loss, if it happens. By virtue of the "0nly good teams tournament" design of the playoffs, each opponent seems like they will be tougher.

Oh and by the way, there are only 4 teams to report on now. Of course anything worrisome is media gold. And it doesn't hurt that there's a cottage industry of invented scandals as regards the Patriots.

True story: We have a nurse come in once a week, who is a Pats fan. She asked how I thought it looked, I said I like our chances but hey, they have to play the game. This non-patsfans.com random 60-odd year old lady says "It seems like they always come up with something around this time of year..."

I referred her to Seth Wickersham, but she said "that's not it."

Gni gni gni!

Curse of the Nurse!