Ladies and Gentlemen, your 1st place New England Patriots

[BUSTAMOVE]

I am the cautious type!
5 weeks ago.Me…. “OK get Mac some experience to go along with his promising play and hope for a high draft pick”
Last Sunday Me….. “Wow we may make the playoffs and we have our QB issue solved”
Thursday night Me.. “This is getting scary we turned this thing around over night and we are showing some SWAG”
Today….Me…………”Holy Chite we are leading our Division. I’m starting to check Standings dreaming of the 1 seed”
I‘m like a freakin Mood Ring

 

[Ring 6]

I fully expected to be firmly in the wild card hunt with the division title within reach by Thanksgiving.

I had no delusions that we would be in first place, with our destiny firmly in our hands.

That means you had delusions that we wouldn’t be.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

With the way Tannehill played, that might be a blowout in our favor.

he’s not much of a QB without Henry. No one is respecting their play action

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I think without Henry their opponents can play nickel a lot greater % of the time (I have no stats to prove this). That makes it a lot tougher on Tannehill who is not great to begin with. Didn't the Titans pay Henry recently huge dollars and then lost Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith to Free Agency this year? Then the Titans traded for Julio Jones, lost him and then lost Henry. Now maybe AJ Brown is lost? Including Davis and Smith, that is 4 or 5 top guys lost on offense with a middling QB - not a good situation.

 

[Froob]

Did not think we’d make the playoffs after the Dallas loss, wowzer. Was way wrong.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

If someone before the season began would have said we would be in first place in the afc East after only 11 games, with a rookie qb, very few people would have given that any credence.

yes, we knew we could run the football, yes, we knew our defense would be improved, but the way Jones has performed is light years ahead of anything that anybody could have predicted!

One game at a time! We need to beat the Titans and keep improving offensively and on special teams. Defensively, we need to stay healthy and keep dominating.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

We're the kings of the east again

 

[‘Mondre]

Back up in dis bih

 

[BTTA]

The Ravens schedule is very difficult - Cleveland x2, Pittsburgh x2, Cinci, Green Bay, and the Rams. They lost to the Phins two weeks ago, and just barely beat the Bears this week. I think they'll end up 10-7.

 

[Sicilian]

I think the "do we even want home field" question is a bit silly. Their four losses at home:

Week 1 to the Dolphins. Week 1 is always hard to gauge because you have two teams with a bunch of new players and you just never know who's going to fire out of the gate more ready than the other team. Add into that it's a division opponent, Mac's first NFL game, and they lost by 1 point due to a Harris fumble and I'm not sure we should walk away saying, "Man, they just CAN'T win at home".

Week 3 to the Saints, who when they still had a starter level QB were one of the better NFC teams. Also, still only Mac's 3rd career start.

Week 4 to the Bucs, lost by 2 points (and potentially two inches on that FG), to another really good NFC team.

Week 6, overtime to the Cowboys, again, another top flight NFC team.

Basically, we lost close games (other than the Saints, though even that was a one score game in the 4th), to three good teams, and a week 1 game that was Mac's first game ever. This is not a reason to fear playing in Gillette.

 

[Steve102]

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I think the "do we even want home field" question is a bit silly. Their four losses at home:

Week 1 to the Dolphins. Week 1 is always hard to gauge because you have two teams with a bunch of new players and you just never know who's going to fire out of the gate more ready than the other team. Add into that it's a division opponent, Mac's first NFL game, and they lost by 1 point due to a Harris fumble and I'm not sure we should walk away saying, "Man, they just CAN'T win at home".

Week 3 to the Saints, who when they still had a starter level QB were one of the better NFC teams. Also, still only Mac's 3rd career start.

Week 4 to the Bucs, lost by 2 points (and potentially two inches on that FG), to another really good NFC team.

Week 6, overtime to the Cowboys, again, another top flight NFC team.

Basically, we lost close games (other than the Saints, though even that was a one score game in the 4th), to three good teams, and a week 1 game that was Mac's first game ever. This is not a reason to fear playing in Gillette.

I would take a home game in cold windy Gillette in the middle of January over a trip to KC, Baltimore, or Tennessee.

 

[50-yard-line]

Pittsburgh and the Ravens have brutal schedules coming up (with 2 against each other).

The Titans have been hobbled by injuries (a little top-heavy in the skill positions, you see).

KC is an enigma - I still think they're the team to beat in the AFC. But if Kelce of Hill or Mahomes get hurt at all, they're in trouble. Their D is suddenly playing very well, however, so there's that.

Pats can play with anybody right now. Rookie QB, though, so we'll see. Great, entertaining year!

 

[XLIX]

I think the "do we even want home field" question is a bit silly.

I agree 100%. If anything, calling it "a bit silly" is a radical understatement.

I know the way things have played out this year, the home/away splits don't show it as an advantage, but there isn't a single team I would rather play on the road than at Gillette.

 

[Kasmir]

Football Outsiders new odds:

 

[Kasmir]

Also this:

 

[DropKickFlutie]

I am the cautious type!
5 weeks ago.Me…. “OK get Mac some experience to go along with his promising play and hope for a high draft pick”
Last Sunday Me….. “Wow we may make the playoffs and we have our QB issue solved”
Thursday night Me.. “This is getting scary we turned this thing around over night and we are showing some SWAG”
Today….Me…………”Holy Chite we are leading our Division. I’m starting to check Standings dreaming of the 1 seed”
I‘m like a freakin Mood Ring

I'll start following and getting your sentiment instead of seeing what taxi drivers, oops I meant fake expert construction guys, think about the Patriots and the NFL.

.

 

[BUSTAMOVE]

I'll start following and getting your sentiment instead of seeing what taxi drivers, oops I meant fake expert construction guys, think about the Patriots and the NFL.

.

I am no genius
I do know when someone is clueless or slinging it
Most of them are slinging it

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I NEVER expected Mac's 1st season to be this good. Likable team, fun to watch. So NOT 2019, 2020.

 

[sb1]

I also wouldn't write in the Chiefs for the playoffs yet. Their conference record is not that good and they have to play 4 division games and finish with 2 on the road.

Wasn't that impressed with their offense on Sunday either.