For those thinking 16-0...

[JJDChE]

Look at our upcoming schedule...

6 of the next 9 games are on the road, including @Indy and @Dallas, who are probably the two best teams outside the Pats right now. @Miami, where we always struggle. @Baltimore and @Cincy, two playoff contenders on Monday night in their house.

And then when we finally come home after that 9 game stretch we get Pittsburgh, who has outscored their opponents by 71 points so far (just a hair behind the Pats margin of +79).

If we come out of that stretch undefeated, I'll be speechless.

 

[xmarkd400x]

Huh? There are teams in the league that might give the Patriots a run for their money? Shucks... I already took the time off work to see their Thanksgiving Day super bowl parade...

 

[patsox23]

One game at a time and it's a lot less intimidating. Focus, focus, focus. Say this - if this team were to go undefeated (FTR, I don't think they will), it would be BY FAR more impressive than the '72 phins and their creampuff sked. It would blow those dolphins out of the water.

One game at a time. One game at a time.

 

[JJDChE]

BTW, look at the Steelers schedule. They're gonna have a good record. Looks like they'll only play two playoff bound teams this whole year (Seahawks, Pats).

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Well i can disagree with you on any of your points but the fact is that each of those teams have a glaring weakness (minus the steelers) and i can see how some people can see us going undeafeated.

Me? I take every week 1 game at a time for several reasons.

1) Injuires, never know when and to whom
2) Media, by this i mean there are always some teams who are OVER crtiqued and become a super team that week to show everyone else they were wrong.Ex us against the Chargers, McNabb killing Detroit etc.
3) Traveling, people dont realize this but traveling long distances can really wear down players more than some think. You know how some of you feel after getting home from a long vacation? Try that after just being beat up for 3 hours and for 17 weeks plus.

 

[JJDChE]

Huh? There are teams in the league that might give the Patriots a run for their money? Shucks... I already took the time off work to see their Thanksgiving Day super bowl parade...

See title...thanks.

 

[letekro]

Of the teams you mentioned, Indy and Pittsburgh are the only ones that play both offense and defense. The Pats are a complete team and it will take a similarly complete to beat them. I will be shocked if they lose to anyone other than Indy or Pitts.

 

[Oswlek]

I don't expect 16-0, but if Dallas is even with 14 points of the Pats I will be shocked.

 

[JJDChE]

Of the teams you mentioned, Indy and Pittsburgh are the only ones that play both offense and defense. The Pats are a complete team and it will take a similarly complete to beat them. I will be shocked if they lose to anyone other than Indy or Pitts.

It's not as simple as that. 6 out of 9 games on the road can take a toll on a team. The Pats were "better" than Indy last year, but they lost because they were gassed in the second half. Games aren't played on paper.

 

[letekro]

It's not as simple as that. 6 out of 9 games on the road can take a toll on a team. The Pats were "better" than Indy last year, but they lost because they were gassed in the second half. Games aren't played on paper.

You're right. They're played on the field. On the field, those teams have a good offense and a bad defense or vice versa. I'm not looking at stats. I've been watching the games.

It's easy to say, "oh their bound to lose some games, because of fatigue, injury, whatever." But based on the evidence we have before us, they're far superior to most of the teams you mentioned, so I expect them to win, and as I said, will be shocked when they lose.

As for your comment that we were the better team last year. NO WAY. We had terrible receivers and our inside linebackers and safeties couldn't cover the middle of the field. Those problems have been remedied in a big way.

Last year our weaknesses were exploited by a better team. This year, I just don't see any weaknesses to exploit.

 

[Pat_Nasty]

While I'm certainly not predicting 16-0, I do think it's worth pointing out that if the Pats win in Cinci next Monday, running the table from there on out wouldn't entail doing anything this team hasn't done already.

As we all remember, in 2003 a Pats team with a much more glaring weakness than this one -- a piss poor running game -- won their last 12 regular season games and then won three more in the post-season. They even had ESPN analysts superstitiously pondering whether they would be better off losing a game before the playoffs. Oh, and they played 5 games against teams who would finish 10-6 or better that season, 3 of them on the road.

 

[bradmahn]

It's not as simple as that. 6 out of 9 games on the road can take a toll on a team. The Pats were "better" than Indy last year, but they lost because they were gassed in the second half. Games aren't played on paper.

But just because they are on the road doesn't mean that those games will be as trying as the trip last year (going to San Diego, back, and then to Indy). The farthest the Pats go is to Dallas, and that's after playing the Browns at home. After that they go to Miami, which is a difficult matchup after a flight to and from Dallas, but Miami looks really bad at this point in time. The Colts game is after a home game, then there is a bye week to recover. Then at the Bills, at home aginst the Iggles and then at the Ravens before finishing the bulk of their shedule at home against the Steelers.

That's one back to back road trip for them, with the much more difficult of the two opponents being the first game played. If this team loses a game it wont be because of a road trip, it will be because they were outplayed.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

Look at our upcoming schedule...

6 of the next 9 games are on the road, including @Indy and @Dallas, who are probably the two best teams outside the Pats right now. @Miami, where we always struggle. @Baltimore and @Cincy, two playoff contenders on Monday night in their house.

And then when we finally come home after that 9 game stretch we get Pittsburgh, who has outscored their opponents by 71 points so far (just a hair behind the Pats margin of +79).

If we come out of that stretch undefeated, I'll be speechless.

It's a brutal schedule. Some of those games, even if we win them, are going to exact a price. The Baltimore game, for example. We could easily win that one, but be really nicked up for the next game. It's going to end up being a great equalizer as the season progresses, but then we have a bit of a break toward the end and a decent tavel schedule. With a 2 game (effectively 2.5 game, in light of the division tie breakers) lead in the division already, we should have some breathing room. While I think that talk of an undefeated season is ridiculous, I do think that talk about a relatively early playoff clinch is not.

Just comparing schedules, and looking at how deep the AFC this year is, the 2 teams that end up with the first round byes are really going to have earned it, but I'd give the Steelers the edge. With our schedule, if you offered me 12-4 right now, with a win over Indy, and no significant injuries going into the playoffs, I'd probably jump all over that right now. Not that I don't think 14-2 is a possibility, but I'd take the bird in the hand right now given our schedule.

Like virtually every game in the NFL between two roughly even teams, some of those games will come down to turnover differential. It's a pretty telling stat. We can't expect to go on the road in Dallas or Baltimore, or even home again Pittsburgh, and overcome a negative turnover differential, no matter how much better we think our team might be. And much as it's fun to game plan, and speculate, and play matchup, and all that, at the end of the day, whether or not a running back gets stripped, or a QB gets hit while he's throwing instead of a second before for a fumble, comes down to luck.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Dude, you know around here we take 'em one at a time!

Cincy. All sights and guns trained and focused on the Bengals. I can't even see another game after that.

Cincy. That's it. Randy Moss. Tom Brady. Monday Night.








(I think we'll finish 13-3, 12-4)

 

[TruthSeeker]

With our schedule, if you offered me 12-4 right now, with a win over Indy, and no significant injuries going into the playoffs, I'd probably jump all over that right now. Not that I don't think 14-2 is a possibility, but I'd take the bird in the hand right now given our schedule.

I'm sorry, I don't see it. Brutal schedule? You'd take 12-4 with a tie-breaker advantage over Indy? With this Patriots team?

Your expectations for the regular season are way too low. 12-4 may have been on the low side of acceptable expectations before the season started, but after playing 3 games, not having any major injuries and seeing exactly how well the new pieces have been molded into the team on both offense and defense, how can you reasonably believe that the Patriots would lose 5 out of their remaining 13 games this year? And if not, then why would you be happy with 12-4?

We don't know how the Patriots will be playing in 8 weeks - which can be a lifetime in the NFL. However, all indications are that the Patriots are scary good and a 14-2 record is not a dream, but a likelihood. I think I predicted before the season that they'd go 13-3 and, after this start, I expect 14-2 is more likely.

16-0 is still very low probability ( <5% IMO ) but it could happen. In what game will the opponent be favored over the Patriots? Maybe the Colts, but even that is doubtful. The Patriots just have to play to their ability and get lucky (with the bounce of the football and avoiding major injuries) in order to dominate the NFL this year. Here's hoping.

 

[JJDChE]

Dude, you know around here we take 'em one at a time!

Oh, I know. But it's been mentioned...and it shouldn't be.

If we get to 13-0, then we can start talking.

 

[shmessy]

Dude, you know around here we take 'em one at a time!

Cincy. All sights and guns trained and focused on the Bengals. I can't even see another game after that.

Cincy. That's it. Randy Moss. Tom Brady. Monday Night.

Don't forget to wear your helmet during the game!

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

16-0 is still very low probability ( <5% IMO ) but it could happen.

On a Belichick team, I'd say it's even lower than that. If we were to go undefeated down the stretch, Belichick would rest starters once HFA is secured.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

On a Belichick team, I'd say it's even lower than that. If we were to go undefeated down the stretch, Belichick would rest starters once HFA is secured.

Keep in mind that if the Pats do secure HFA, it won't be a rehash of 2005, where the Pats actually had no incentive (in their minds) to win in Week 17. . . . I could honestly see the Matts leading the team to at least one victory.

 

[Deus Irae]

Belichick let Vinny get into the record books as well as Flutie. I could definitely see him deciding to go for the undefeated record, especially given the way this season has played out so far.