Playoff hopes, vs playoff expectations.

[Pat the Pats Fan]

I am happy that the Pats are in the playoffs! This team has a real lunchpail mentality, come to work, do your job type of charisma. I like it, it reminds me of the '01, '03 and '04 teams. No stars, just a really good team. Every week finding a way to win close games by never giving up.

My hope is that they can get to the game in NJ. My expectation will be that they will play very close games down to the final second with a chance to win.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

My expectation and hope is the same - Super Bowl.

 

[coolguy]

The patriots are currently have the most sacks out of every team left in the afc and the most out of ever bill coached team .

Despite all the injuries the pats can rush the passer at an elite level.

The broncos are going to struggle getting pressure with out von miller.

 

[AzPatsFan]

We like to say this is iot the most talented club that BB has assembled. But I beg you ot consider that BB hasn't had a great Defense since the 2006 season. The 2007 season was a wonderful Offense that started to fade as the season progressed with a mediocre Defense. The 2011 SB club was completely unbalanced . It was all Offense, with a downright poor Defense.

This years club is full of IR stars and young players yet to make a name of for themselves, but showing flashes.

The Total Defensive stats are not great except in the things that really matter. This Pats Defense has discovered some real un-noted players well on their way to stardom.

The Pats had 49 sacks this season and more than any BB club, ever. In fact better than any season in 28 years! The Points Allowed are Top Ten in the League, in the only defensive stat that really matters. The turnovers rate is Top Ten.

Consider the Front Four: Jones 11.5, Jones 6, Silinga 3, and Ninkovitch 8 sacks. That is pressure across the board and Chris Jones and Sealver Silinga are the perfect penetrating DT and 2 gap NT combo. Chandler is a truly great RDE and Ninko is a complete LDE able to set the edge and also attack. Even the reserves are not bad in Buchannan, Carter, and Velano.

There are four startable LBs without resort to using Ninkovitch in Hihgtower, Spikes Collins and Fletcher.

The secondary has four playable CBs in Talib, Dennard, Ryan and Arrington. While the Safeties are McCourty, Gregory, Hammon and Wilson.


Did you know that the Brady led Offense is Top Three in Points Scored, despite the Gronk injuries and the young rook WRs. The RBs are deep and Top Five in league stats.

It makes no difference this Playoff season, but this team adds Wolfork, Kelly, Mayo, Volmer, and Gronkowski as "newcoming" talent for 2014.


Despite the injuries this is not a talentless club. They will need the infusion since it appears the AFCE opposition seem to getting their acts together, finally.

 

[Kontradiction]

The patriots are currently have the most sacks out of every team left in the afc and the most out of ever bill coached team .

Despite all the injuries the pats can rush the passer at an elite level.

The broncos are going to struggle getting pressure with out von miller.

Agreed. They were playing a soft schedule at the beginning of the year which allowed them to get away with not having Miller on defense. Even then, they surrendered a ton of points and yardage to the Cowboys at home. Double Shaun Phillips or have a TE/WR chip him at the line of scrimmage and Brady should have plenty of time in the pocket against them.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

No matter what this was a successful season, but a one and done would still leave me a little disappointed. I'm extremely hopeful though because of how resilient this team has been. When you look at the company they keep in regards to the Belichick coached Pats teams when looking at how they do in low scoring games, games where they trailed, close games, etc. they have some really good company.

 

[everlong]

I don't have the same expectations but if they lose it will be a crappy next week nonetheless. I do expect they will be competitive in any game they play and we won't have a 09 Ravens repeat. Other than that who knows.

I just hope if they lose it's not like the Carolina or Jets games with a BS call or a BS pickup the flag no call.

 

[ATippett56]

Probably Belichick's best coaching season in his entire career.

No playoff expectations whatsoever due to too many key injuries:

Wilfork, Mayo, Gronkowski, Vollmer

Aaron Hernandez .... you're a freakin' moron!

 

[Archeryaddict12]

I don't have expectations of this team to go deep or win it all with the Loss of so many key players. But this is exactly what the giants (2x) ravens and packers had. They weren't expected to go to the SB and win it. Same with the 2001 team. But sometimes when you don't have all the pressure vs the other team, it can be good for that team. I wouldn't be surprised if we went 1 and done or SB champs. What they have done has been magnificent already.

 

[PATS16N0]

I have mixed feeling, so I've tempered my expectations this year for the first time since 2010.

I hate to take the political way out, but the honest truth is, I won't be surprised if we get knocked out of the play offs (I'm prepared for it), and I won't be surprised if we go to the Superbowl.

The Denver comeback gives me mixed hope (mixed because we no longer have Gronk).

While the Bronco fans like to believe fluke turn overs cost them a dominant game, I think the reality is the exact opposite happened. Fluke turn overs cost US a dominant performance.

Brady threw for what? 350~400 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions?
And Manning threw for what? 150 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception?

I think the real reason many of us don't want to play Denver in the AFC Championship in Denver, if we can avoid it, is because they're more worried about the prospect of losing to Manning and hearing all the BS that would follow that, more than they're actually worried about the Broncos as the better football team.

I just don't think they're that good, on either side of the ball.

If Denver was as good against good teams as ESPN would lead us to believe, I'd have more pessimistic expectations for this season, but the truth is, they're just not. They've lost to 3 out of the 4 teams in the play offs they've faced.

Decisively.

So I guess we'll see.

 

[coolguy]

Probably Belichick's best coaching season in his entire career.

No playoff expectations whatsoever due to too many key injuries:

Wilfork, Mayo, Gronkowski, Vollmer

Aaron Hernandez .... you're a freakin' moron!

Is it fair to say the loss of wilfork actually helped the pass rush? I love wilfork as a run stopper, but he was a somewhat liability when it comes to getting pressure on the quarterback.

The defensive line is bringing heat to the opposing quarterback more than any belichick coached team.

 

[SeymourTrophies]

I feel like I did going into week 17 of 2008: whatever the end result is will be icing. This team has some big brass ones, so I wouldn't be surprised if they go far, but I'm fully expecting the Pats to bow out in the AFCCG if not earlier.

 

[coolguy]

I feel like I did going into week 17 of 2008: whatever the end result is will be icing. This team has some brass ones, so I wouldn't be surprised if they go far, but I'm fully expecting to bow out in the AFCCG if not earlier.

I think everyone is overreacting to the injuries

The pats have filled holes on defense and have even improved in areas that have hurt the team.;

Only moreno and charles can run on the patriots.

 

[MassPats38]

My expectation is the same every week - that the Pats will be competitive and have a chance to win the game. I have never expected a Super Bowl win, because to have that expectation means you lose sight on how difficult the wins in 2001, 2003 and 2004 were. In 2001, most fans knew if the game went into overtime, the Pats would be in trouble. In 2003, the Panthers were scoring at will after the secondary was taken down by injuries. In 2004, McNabb had the ball and a TD wins the game. The losses to the Giants came down to a fluke pass and a a drop by Welker or hail Mary that Gronk was about one-tenth of a second away from catching. Any of those games, or all of them, could have been wins for the Pats. Any, or all, could have been losses. That is why every Pats Super Bowl game since 2001 has been a great game for every fan of NFL football.

I think this year has been a return to 2001. There have been weeks when few experts believe the Pats can win. Articles that Brady is over the hill, while Manning is a virtuoso at age 37 and Rodgers can single-handedly threaten the NFC top seeds after eking out a win over an awful Chicago defense. Numerous articles indicate that the Pats cannot win, that they lack the talent to close the deal since Gronk went on IR. The fact the Pats have won 12 games has itself left so-called experts eating crow, because there is every reason for the Pats not to be in the mix and certainly not the 2nd best team in the conference. This depleted Pats handed the Steelers the most points scored in team history against this defensive team, and in the face of another strong expert preference that a desperate Ravens team would put the Pats down hard, handed the Cravens their worst home loss in history. That, and spotting the Donkeys 24 points only to outscore them 34 to 7 and win that game. Still, it's a fluke.

I expect the Pats will continue to compete, and still believe they have the horses to win with this coaching against any team in the NFL. My hope is a win and ultimately a title. The great thing with this team, after a season like this, is that this hope is not a pipe dream. This team will never say die, and will fight until the final whistle. That is what makes this season special, regardless of the end to the story.

 

[Lavictoire]

To me, everything from here on out is icing on the cake. I congratulate and thank the Patriots for an entertaining season despite the many setbacks.

Please, just don't let them get eliminated on some blatant bogus call by an official at a critical moment. I think I will stop watching football if that happens. I get emotionally invested in these games and spend a lot of my spare time following the season. I can't take the disappointment of those losses anymore and the feeling I was suckered or robbed by some gigantic corporation more concerned with a predetermined outcome to fit some storyline.

 

[Kontradiction]

I think everyone is overreacting to the injuries

The pats have filled holes on defense and have even improved in areas that have hurt the team.;

Only moreno and charles can run on the patriots.

Given the recent play of Siliga against the run, I'm not so sure Moreno would have the same success against the Pats that he had in the regular season. Granted, though, the interior OL on Denver is extremely good in run blocking. But when we played them a few weeks back, the Pats were starting Chris Jones and Joe Vellano at DT. Siliga is an improvement against the run against either one of those two.

 

[ausbacker]

I've been sitting back and enjoying the ride since the injury bug decimated the team. Privately, I thought the Patriots would do well to scrub out 8-8 once their stars, not depth players or solid contributors but stars predominantly found themselves on IR.

I have no expectations other than to watch this team fight out however many remaining games they have. To me, it has been a tremendous season that will hopefully result in another addition of America's Game for the Patriots to my DVD collection.

 

[BobDigital]

Here is my expectations.

We should win at least 1 playoff game. We get it at home and I don't think we should lose at home to KC/Indy/Cinn.

As far as the AFCCG goes. I don't hate our odds either. I think we can beat Denver @ Denver but I would not put us as the favorites. Anyone else and we should win that game too (also it would be at home if Denver gets bounced).

I give us about a 1 in 8 to 1 in 6 chance to win it all & we are just as likely to represent the AFC as any other AFC team give or take.

 

[PATSNUTme]

When the playoff game(s) are being played I'll be as intense as I always am. And should they not go all the way I'll be disappointed for a while. But, I'll regain my perspective about this years team really fast.

 

[supafly]

I expect to win our home divisional game and play in the AFCCG. To me, that defines a "deeper" type of playoff run, considering that we are already in the 2nd round based on the success and hard work of the regular season. Going to the 3rd round, win/lose defines a deeper playoff run, and that's exactly what we've all pretty much grown to expect from our NEP team.

However, my "hope" is to win that AFCCG game of course, and once again play in the SB.