Is the Denver game a must win?

[cstjohn17]

If the Patriots lose to Denver they could be the 4th place team in the AFC.
Denver \ KC
Bengals
Colts

http://espn.go.com/nfl/standings

Is the Denver game a must win?

 

[Kdo5]

Every game is a must win at this point of the season.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Uhh, No.

We lose, so what, we still have a game or even more on the division.

 

[Disco Volante]

A must win for a shot to still get the #1 seed? Yes.

A must win to still get a division title/2nd seed? No.

 

[coolguy]

It's not a must win because the bengals, colts, and cheifs are unproven in the playoffs and manning sucks in cold weather especially in January. Denver in january has been colder than boston.

The patriots are the only proven team in the afc

 

[Ring 6]

It's not a must win because the bengals, colts, and cheifs are unproven in the playoffs and manning sucks in cold weather especially in January.

The patriots are the only proven team in the afc

And the Bengals and Colts are not going undefeated the next 6 weeks.

 

[SB39]

aaaaaaaand here comes the most overused, ridiculous cliché in all of sports: calling something a "must win" game. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone called something a "must win" game and that team went on to lose it, but came back to win the series or make the playoffs anyway.

Uh, gee, let me think... Patriots have a 2 game lead in the division, the Jets and Dolphins are in complete disarray, and after Denver, it is a very favorable schedule. No offense, but calling Denver a "must win" game is pretty idiotic.

 

[IllegalContact]

If the pats lose to denver, it is conceivable that they will still wind up at 12-4

so who else do we have?

- count on the #1 seed coming from the AFC West
- Cincy (7-4) has SD(a), Indy(h), pit(a), min(h), bal(h)
- Indy (7-3) has az(a), ten(h), cin(a), hou(h), kc(a), jax(h)
- Pats (7-3) den(h), hou(a), cle(h), mia(a), bal(a), buf(h)

I think the pats have a good shot at the 2 seed.

 

[SteelersCanada]

It's a must win because you guys have to ICE UP SON, ICE UP.

Seriously, what the hell does ice up mean? I feel dumber having said it. Brady should have a good day against a very bad Broncos secondary, assuming Solder and Cannon can slow down a very overrated Broncos pass rush.

Bounce back game in Tom's house of pain.

 

[coolguy]

I never understood why peyton choose the coldest afc city over playing in warm san francisco.

 

[chasa]

It's a must win because you guys have to ICE UP SON, ICE UP.

Seriously, what the hell does ice up mean? I feel dumber having said it. Brady should have a good day against a very bad Broncos secondary, assuming Solder and Cannon can slow down a very overrated Broncos pass rush.

Bounce back game in Tom's house of pain.

it means to put ice on the injured area, in this case talibs hip

 

[Disco Volante]

It's not a must win because the bengals, colts, and cheifs are unproven in the playoffs and manning sucks in cold weather especially in January. Denver in january has been colder than boston.

The patriots are the only proven team in the afc

It is pretty interesting to consider how many playoff wins the top 6 AFC teams have with their current starting QB.

Broncos: 0
Chiefs: 0
Colts: 0
Bengals: 0
Jets: 0
Patriots: 16

Obviously, with guys starting their first year for a new team it's a given, but still pretty unique.

 

[TruthSeeker]

It is a must win, but the way I look at this game, we have zero chance to win this game. The football gods have just hurt our defense too much. Even healthy I think it would have been quite the accomplishment to stop that offense. But without Wilfork, Kelly, Mayo, Talib and Dennard, I think Denver is gonna do to us what we did to Pittsburgh.

So, at 7-4, and losing 4 out of 7, the last 5 games will be key, Need to win 4 of those 5. I think we finish at 11-5, which would be quite an accomplishment considering the HUGE amount of injuries to KEY players.

 

[nekromantique]

depends on if miami or the jets win. if not, then it is an acceptable loss.


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[CelticPatriot]

No. The Bengals have a harder schedule than us to end the season (includes @ Chargers, @ Steelers, vs Ravens. Colts have @ Cardinals, vs Titans and @ Chiefs. They also play each other which is probably most important

I could see the Colts finishing 11-5, Bengals 10-6

 

[Kontradiction]

It's a must win because you guys have to ICE UP SON, ICE UP.

Seriously, what the hell does ice up mean? I feel dumber having said it. Brady should have a good day against a very bad Broncos secondary, assuming Solder and Cannon can slow down a very overrated Broncos pass rush.

Bounce back game in Tom's house of pain.

The Broncos secondary is more than likely going to get lit up like a Christmas tree. The problem is our defense as a whole, and particularly the secondary, is the walking wounded at this time. Reports are the Dennard could miss a few weeks now and Talib aggravated his hip injury. No clue on what Gregory's status will be. This has the potential to be a shoot out.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Wow, I cannot believe how many people think we have no chance, and how many people think we need to win.

This is the weakest AFC in years, and the two best teams are in the same division. 11-5 could certainly take the #2 seed, and 10-6 has an outside chance. The Jets will almost certainly be 5-6 next week, and the AFC East is all but locked up. How is this a "must-win"? I think this fan base doesn't really understand the concept.

In terms of those believing we have no chance, please go bet a lot of money on the Denver Broncos, as you only need to give 1-2 points as of right now. The Patriots are a proud team with the league's best coach, one of the best QBs of all-time, and easily have the league's best home record over the last decade. While a lot of guys are out on defense, I'll remind you that these are professional athletes who were good enough to make one of the league's most competitive squads. If push came to shove, I would probably pick the Broncos as well, but I would not be surprised in the least if the Pats beat them.

 

[everlong]

A must win for the #1 seed yes and for the division no.

For the 2 seed and the important bye.

NE

@Houston
Cleveland
@Miami
@Baltimore
Buffalo

Indy 7-3
@AZ
Tenn
@Cincinnati
Houston
@KC
Jax

Cincinnati 7-4

@SD
Indy
@Pitt
Minn
Balt

Indy loses two of three between @AZ, @Cinn and @KC. Cincinnati will screw up at least one or two more of those. So it's not a must win for the two seed but it pretty much requires a win out after that should they drop the game since they're behind Cincinnati with a head to head loss and Indy would likely have an advantage in strength of victory and schedule. So the margin is pretty thin with a loss to Denver.

 

[Tunescribe]

If we've seen anything from the first half of the season, it's that this Patriots team is not as dominant as in years past and can lose on any given Sunday. I wouldn't call any game going forward a lock, which is why EACH of the last six definitely is must-win if a playoff bye is the goal. And I think the bye is essential for any kind of significant playoff run.

 

[PATSNUTme]

No the only game that is a must win is the one that will put you in or out of the playoffs. After that, every playoff game is a must win.