Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 2008

[Deus Irae]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

The rams were a better team, Pats just were better that day.

Following a slow start of 3-4, New England went 8-1 to end the season, with the only loss being to the Rams by 7. The Patriots then went undefeated in the playoffs. The Rams started off at 6-1, and then went 8-1 to end the season, and losing the Super Bowl. It's not as if the Patriots were chopped liver and just got on a roll the way that the Giants did, and it's not as if it took a fluke play to win like it did for the Giants. The Rams had a team weakness that was exploited in the Patriots victory. The Patriots had an injured quarterback and lost an offensive lineman to injury during the game that was exploited in the Giants victory.

I really don't see the situations as being quite as comparable as some others seem to.

 

[aztecafut]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

They were on that day. They out hit, played and coached the Patriots.

aabtec

I agree with you 100%. They played better ON THAT DAY, thats why they won the game. But that does not mean they were the better team. I think BelichickFan put it best.

I don't know why people have to be so darned politically correct. Of course the Patriots were the better team. Duh. They lost one game. The Giants lost 6. And on and on. Of course, the Giants played the better game that day. That doesn't mean they were the better team. Sucks for us.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

The Patriots were barely better than the Giants in Week 17. From there the Giants got better while the Pats fell off somewhat. On SB Sunday they were even and the Giants had the ball last - the rest is history.

No one can watch those 2 games and say that one team was obviously better than the other. But what will puzzle me to the grave is how the Giants laid low for 16 weeks before coming out and playing like champions.[/QUOTE]

Shockey. He was a cancer to the team. They were always a a championship level team that was being held back.

 

[richpats]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

Shockey. He was a cancer to the team. They were always a a championship level team that was being held back.

You may have a point. I thought his injury spelled doom for them. Of course I thought Tiki's retirement did the same thing. Turns out the removal of the "me" players was the final piece of the puzzle.

 

[richpats]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

But that does not mean they were the better team.

Just food for thought - the Patriots and Giants had nearly IDENTICAL points scored/allowed averages during the playoffs:

Patriots: 22 ppg scored, 16.3 ppg allowed (+5.7 ppg)
Giants: 21.3 ppg scored, 16.3 ppg allowed (+5.0 ppg)

Compare this to their regular season averages:

Patriots: 36.8 ppg scored, 17.1 ppg allowed (+19.7 ppg)
Giants: 23.3 ppg scored, 21.9 ppg allowed (+1.4 ppg)

Considering the Patriots' scoring margin fell by TWO FRIGGIN' TOUCHDOWNS and the Giants improved their scoring margin by 3.6 ppg, the Super Bowl wasn't an anomaly - the Giants were playing better football and the Patriots were playing far worse, when compared with their regular seasons.

 

[Afterlifemobile-86]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

The Jets as high at #14?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?

Oh Peter.........

 

[Keegs]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

The New York Giants should be #1 on any power rankings. With the Patriots as #2.

 

[blackglass3]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

Actually, how about no power rankings until the teams actually, you know, PLAY a game or two. Him putting those out there in the first week of May is ridiculous.

 

[N.Eman]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

Giants got lucky!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

This just in from the Mayor of Homerville. On that Sunday the Giants owned both sides of the line of scrimmage. So on that day, they were the better team.

Yep. I don't see how we can say anything else. In SB XXXVI, the Pats were the better team on the field. In SB XLII, the Giants were. To deny that to the Giants is to deny what we all claimed after Adam's kick cleared the uprights and the clock ran out on that incredible evening.

The NFL is a series of contests in which one team or the other is the better team on a given day. Only time allows people who understand and care about the game to look at the most successful teams over several seasons and decide which were the best.

Clearly, time has shown that the Brady Patriots were more consistently dominant than the Warner Rams. I'd bet a good deal of money that time will render the same verdict about the Brady Patriots over the Manning Giants. But, for now, that verdict has not been rendered. The Giants were the better team on the field this February. If the Giants can sustain anything like what the Patriots have sustained over the past seven seasons (five Conference Championship Games, Four Conference Championships and Three SB Wins), then it may one day be decided that they were not only the better team on the field that day, but the better team overall; however, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[B5Erik]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

P.S. Gotta love the Giants at a low #6 - Shows Peter realizes what every fan should, and that the Giants were not the better team on the field that sunday in February - BUT they played better that particular day.

I'd say it's not a matter of better team, but the right matchup. The Giants were the more PHYSICAL team on the field - and that's why I predicted their win. They were a tough, physical team that wasn't making mistakes down the stretch, especially in the playoffs.

The Patriots were probably the more SKILLED team, but the Giants were more physical and that's why they won. The Patriots were running out of gas down the stretch of the season (and into the playoffs), just when the Giants were building up steam.

The Giants may be ready for a dropoff after winning the Super Bowl. We'll see if they become a new perennial power - like the Patriots - or if they drop off the map, like the Bucs.

I expect the Patriots to be right back in the playoff hunt again this year (at or near the lead), regardless...

 

[Kontradiction]

Re: Peter King's MMQB at SI.com puts Patriots #1 power rating of all 32 teams for 200

I'd say it's not a matter of better team, but the right matchup. The Giants were the more PHYSICAL team on the field - and that's why I predicted their win. They were a tough, physical team that wasn't making mistakes down the stretch, especially in the playoffs.

The Patriots were probably the more SKILLED team, but the Giants were more physical and that's why they won. The Patriots were running out of gas down the stretch of the season (and into the playoffs), just when the Giants were building up steam.

The Giants may be ready for a dropoff after winning the Super Bowl. We'll see if they become a new perennial power - like the Patriots - or if they drop off the map, like the Bucs.

I expect the Patriots to be right back in the playoff hunt again this year (at or near the lead), regardless...

I completely agree. It's like the pressure of the undefeated season built up so much that the players were having a hard time handling it at the end of the year. Then you'll have the people on here that will actually blame the Chargers for our Super Bowl loss per-Brady's ankle.