Idle thoughts.....California dreamin'

[Deus Irae]

The Patriots are coming off of two big wins, against a division rival and a team that thumped them last year. They're going against a team that has a bad record and is without a lot of its talent for the game, but that also has the ability to be explosive. Next week, the Patriots return home to face the Vikings, a team that was in the NFCCG last year and has Moss coming back to New England.

This matchup against the Chargers is a classic "trap" game.

 

[TBradyOwnsYou]

without the ST turnovers keeping the offense on the field and the defense off the field, would they still be #1 in either category?
They are a talented team no doubt, and this will be another huge test for us, but I think we still come out with the W in this one.

 

[DaBruinz]

Fair enough, but I'd add a few counter-points:

1. The week 1 loss to the Chiefs looked bad, as did the week 3 loss to the Seahawks, but both are teams tied for the division lead. In fact, they've only played one team with a losing record, the Raiders. The weeks 5 and 6 losses to the Raiders and Rams also looked bad. And the Rams had a losing record prior to playing the Chargers. When they played Seattle, Seattle was 1-1. I can play the BS nit pick game too... And yes, It's BS...

2. Yes, Arizona sucks and the NFC West is awful. But the Jaguars are a .500 team playing in one of the toughest divisions in football who also happened to beat the Colts. The Jaguars lucked out in the win against the Colts.. And they've been annihilated by Philadelphia and Tennessee

3. Don't deny them credit for blowing out bad teams, which is what good teams should do. And don't forget that the Patriots barely squeaked by Buffalo, a team much worse than anyone San Diego has played. They don't get squat for credit for doing what they are supposed to do. That's like saying that you should get a High School Diploma for recognizing that 1+1=2

Now, you may not have watched the Buffalo game, but I did. And the game wasn't as close as the score indicates. Not to mention that Spiller's KR TD shouldn't have counted. On the kick return, Buffalo formed a 3 man wedge (which was made illegal prior to the start of last season) not to mention the 2 blocks in the back that went ignored and specifically freed Spiller.

I'm not denying the Chargers are struggling and that the stats are a bit misleading. But I think a lot of fans and media are taking this game a lot lighter than they should.

Good for you. I think that you are like almost every Charger fan and aren't realizing how much of an impact not having your Top 2 WRs on the field (Top 3 if you include Jackson) really is. That their All-Pro TE is questionable with an injury that has severely affected him in the past. And their special teams has been down-right horrible.

I said I expected the Pats to win. And I said that I expect them to cover the +3. I haven't said it would be a blow out. I haven't predicted the score at all.

 

[DaBruinz]

The Patriots are coming off of two big wins, against a division rival and a team that thumped them last year. They're going against a team that has a bad record and is without a lot of its talent for the game, but that also has the ability to be explosive. Next week, the Patriots return home to face the Vikings, a team that was in the NFCCG last year and has Moss coming back to New England.

This matchup against the Chargers is a classic "trap" game.

As someone else pointed out, it's only a TRAP game if your team is favored. The Pats aren't favored against SD despite SD being without a ton of talent. Oh, and it's that talent that specifically makes them "explosive". So, if that talent isn't on the field, then what?

 

[convertedpatsfan]

The weeks 5 and 6 losses to the Raiders and Rams also looked bad. And the Rams had a losing record prior to playing the Chargers. When they played Seattle, Seattle was 1-1. I can play the BS nit pick game too... And yes, It's BS...

Not really trying to play the BS nit pick game here. I'm simply stating that San Diego is better than their record states, and that they haven't been playing the Jills and the Lions of the league.

We can argue the merits of Jacksonville or Arizona or Seattle or whoever else. But they've played some decent teams, and they are better than most are giving them credit for.

They're a team that is off to a slow start but has a lot of talent. They're also a team with a history of slow starts. They're also a team with a history of overcoming those slow starts. But I don't like the consistent talk of the trap game against such a talented team at their place.

Good for you. I think that you are like almost every Charger fan and aren't realizing how much of an impact not having your Top 2 WRs on the field (Top 3 if you include Jackson) really is. That their All-Pro TE is questionable with an injury that has severely affected him in the past. And their special teams has been down-right horrible.

I said I expected the Pats to win. And I said that I expect them to cover the +3. I haven't said it would be a blow out. I haven't predicted the score at all.

I never said you predicted a score or a blow-out. I just simply think a lot of media/fans are taking this game too lightly. There are definitely injury and special teams issues that we should take advantage of. But as patfanken pointed out in the OP, there's no way this should be treated as a trap game. That doesn't give due credit to the opponent we have to face. I expect us to win this game as well, but I would not be shocked or calling it a trap game if we lost either.

 

[Deus Irae]

As someone else pointed out, it's only a TRAP game if your team is favored. The Pats aren't favored against SD despite SD being without a ton of talent. Oh, and it's that talent that specifically makes them "explosive". So, if that talent isn't on the field, then what?

A trap game has nothing to do with Vegas odds. In fact, people perceiving a game as a "trap" can impact those very odds. Vegas sets them according to projected betting, not according to heavy analysis as to who will win, by how much, and why.