Reasons that it is a 'MUST' win game against the Colts

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

If we dont they move into a tie with us and will hold the tiebreaker

Personally I am not concerned about the Colts as much as I usually am and maybe not as much as some here are.

Of course with Peyton the Colts will ALWAYS be dangerous,but those injuries have crippled thier chances of going all the way this season.

That being said,I anticipate a semi-low scoring affair next weekend with the winner winning by 3 or 4 points and the game in the 20s

 

[mgteich]

For some, SB's are played in Oct and Nov. For some, critical games occur in mid-November.

If there is a MUST game on the horizon, it is against the jets.

A 7-2 team is in a must win situation right now?

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

For some, SB's are played in Oct and Nov. For some, critical games occur in mid-November.

If there is a MUST game on the horizon, it is against the jets.

Yep,If the Jets sweep NE and with their schedule the rest of the way,its all over in the AFC East if they do.

 

[Ring 6]

What??

"At 7-2 there is no real crucial do or die game,but this week presents a special couple of reasons why the Patriots MUST beat the Colts this weekend."

Huh?? Are you kidding??

How can you not mention how important in-conference records are vis-a-vis the playoffs??
If the Pats are to win their division they need to sweep their remaining AFC games. THAT is why this Colt game is VERY VERY important. Jets have only one loss in the conference. Pats already have two. HUGE ramifications i.e. Pats chances of winning the division and getting a bye if they lose to the Colts. Beating the Colts is a must if the Pats are to win the AFC east. Jeez....

If the Pats lose to the Colts then win out, and the Jets only lose one other game, the Pats win the division outright, with no tiebreaker needed.
The Jets do still play Pittsburgh too.

 

[Ring 6]

Personally I am not concerned about the Colts as much as I usually am and maybe not as much as some here are.

Of course with Peyton the Colts will ALWAYS be dangerous,but those injuries have crippled thier chances of going all the way this season.

That being said,I anticipate a semi-low scoring affair next weekend with the winner winning by 3 or 4 points and the game in the 20s

I agree but there is something about allowing them to own the tiebreaker over us with all of the times I've seen them win games they didnt seem to deserve to that is unsettling.
I want to bury them, and if we win this game, we would appear to have buried their chances of beating us in seeding.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

If the Pats lose to the Colts then win out, and the Jets only lose one other game, the Pats win the division outright, with no tiebreaker needed.
The Jets do still play Pittsburgh too.

Sanchez is impressive but no Tom Brady,Pittsburgh's D will lay the lumber on that offense and should win that one,that might be the only game the Jets could lose the rest of the way unless they also lose in NE.

Unless Sanchez makes some bad decisions in games they should win,the Jets are looking at 12-4

 

[Ring 6]

The Jets would still have to lose to another AFC team while we would have to win out.

assuming the Colts beat us...and we beat the Jets..

headache personified..

No the Jets would have to lose a game to anyone, because that would make them 12-4 and us 13-3, under your scenario.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I agree but there is something about allowing them to own the tiebreaker over us with all of the times I've seen them win games they didnt seem to deserve to that is unsettling.
I want to bury them, and if we win this game, we would appear to have buried their chances of beating us in seeding.

If we are going to beat the Colts by a large margin this would be the year to do it with them banged up, but I don't expect this team to put 40 points on the board back to back and this year I think its been obvious Bill has been using the run more often because simply its been quite good at times and with Maroney gone we can finally have come confidence in that area and Brady does not have to carry all the load all the time.

Its truly refreshing to see 2 virtual castoffs at RB playing well most of the time and ahead on the depth chart of a veteran RB and a future HOF RB

 

[Ring 6]

With seven games left and so many teams in the AFC with only 2-3 losses, every game is a must game from here on out.

Or another way to look at it is the Pats control their own destiny. That makes every game a must win until they reach the point that they could lose and still control their own destiny.
This team did a hell of a lot to get to the point of controlling their own destiny, so they shouldn't give that up very easily.

 

[D-Money]

Any word on Fred Taylor?Still out?

 

[Ring 6]

Sanchez is impressive but no Tom Brady,Pittsburgh's D will lay the lumber on that offense and should win that one,that might be the only game the Jets could lose the rest of the way unless they also lose in NE.

Unless Sanchez makes some bad decisions in games they should win,the Jets are looking at 12-4

Sanchez has not impressed me. He has been adequate at times, and less than that at others.
The Jets are a DT kicked PAT (plus a bad coaching decision) a pi penalty on a Hail Mary that was uncatchable, and a fumble in OT away from being on a 4 game losing streak.
They are a candidate to lose every game they play. I suppose one way to look at it is they overcome adversity and find a way to win, but really over the last month, its been a case of the opponent finding a way to choke and hand them the game.
I actually think last years 7-7+gift Jets were a better team, because they were much better on defense, and if they had the good fortune of opponents being boneheaded that the 2010 Jets have had they probably would have had the same record at this point.
I truly dont see the Jets as a mentally tough team that is going to finish strong or be a factor in the playoffs.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Is there a rule about when to start the "MUST WIN" thread or can I go ahead and start one for the Lions game next week?

They're all important. Some have tie-breaker implications, but each and every game is significant.

I would agree that this is the most important game of the week. But it's just one game. We are not out if we lose. We don't get the Super Bowl if we win.

 

[ATippett56]

I hit a nerve . . .

You most certainly did!

 

[ATippett56]

I would agree that this is the most important game of the week. But it's just one game. We are not out if we lose. We don't get the Super Bowl if we win.

It will make the road to the Super Bowl alot harder if the Patriots lose to the broken down Colts.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

It will make the road to the Super Bowl alot harder if the Patriots lose to the broken down Colts.

Losing any game to any opponent makes the road to the Super Bowl a lot harder. That loss to the Browns still stings and could cost us the #1 seed.

But it still doesn't make this a "MUST WIN" game. If we win this game but lose a bunch of the next ones, we could still miss the play-offs. If we lose this game, we could still take the #1 seed. This game by itself doesn't decide anything.

Having said that much, I really really really really really want to win this one.

 

[Ring 6]

Is there a rule about when to start the "MUST WIN" thread or can I go ahead and start one for the Lions game next week?

They're all important. Some have tie-breaker implications, but each and every game is significant.

I would agree that this is the most important game of the week. But it's just one game. We are not out if we lose. We don't get the Super Bowl if we win.

They are all important but some have extra implications. Because they are leading their divisions and close to us in the standings Pitt and Indy have extra meaning, because they mean 2 games (lead plus tiebreaker) toward all important seeding

 

[jmt57]

Any word on Fred Taylor?Still out?

Based on last week's reports and comments I would expect him to play this week. He was able to practice last week, but it was not a surprise that he did not play against the Steelers. There aren't going to be any updates until after the first practice of the week - you're never going to get any new news this soon after a game. Even then the information is probably going to be very minimal; there's no upside for the Pats to talk about who will or won't play.

 

[jmt57]

They are all important but some have extra implications. Because they are leading their divisions and close to us in the standings Pitt and Indy have extra meaning, because they mean 2 games (lead plus tiebreaker) toward all important seeding

Agreed. To add on to that a little bit, aside from the tie-breaker angle (i.e., head-to-head, common opponents, conference record, strength of victories) games like this are a two-game swing. Beating a division opponent is not only a win for the Pats, but it is also one less win and one more less for that team (Jets, Dolphins) that you are battling against in the standings.

Same holds true for conference opponents, whether it be for playoff seedings, home field advantage, or making the playoffs as a wild card. It's a win-win for the Pats, one with double meaning because it not only gives the Pats a win, it also gives a team the Pats are competing with in the AFC standings a loss at the same time. If on the other hand Indy should win, it becomes a double-edged loss for the Pats.

 

[SVN]

just like the pats have the steelers number , the colts have beaten us last 5 out of 6 times. So no matter who is playing WR for them , its going to be a huge challenge for our D. This isnt Ben R. That ball will come out fast and accurate.
All 3 teams who have beaten the colts have taken the lead on them early which is a big key for us.

 

[ausbacker]

I'm pretty sure that every game is a must win but this is a must win... if you know what I mean.