The Next three

[AzPatsFan]

Belichick empahsizes that you worry and play them one at a time.

Thats true foro players but fans can take another viewpoint. Before the season, we all recognized that the five games before the break were critical and the last three of the five were the key to the season, all else being equal.

Having won two division games and having victories against two of the divisional foes, while our predicted compoettition is off to a slow start including a unexpected divisional loss, the Pats are in great shape.

If the pats end up 3-2 or better going into the break, they should be a shoo-in for the palyoffs. Anything better gives them a big leg up on Home Field Advantage. A sweep might indicate an impossible 16-0 regular season.

How do we stand two thirds of the way to our minimal objective?

Denver is having offensnive problems. Plummer is reverting to form. i suspect he is feeling the pressure of Sahanahan's msitrust and the drafting of Cutler. The Denver running game just doesn't have the spark it did when Alex Gibbs was there. Now he, and his dirty blocking techniques, are making the Falcons the league leaders in rushing statsitics. Javon Walker is still learning the Denver Offense, just like our new WRs, while he is recovering from an offseason ACL surgery, that usually neds 18 months for a full recovery. A victory here would probaly help establish HFA, and no posot season trip to the Patriot's House of Horrors, MileHigh.

Cinncinatti is winning. But they are awfully beat up according to Peter King. They play the Steelers next week and that should be a Tong war and yield lots of bumps and bruises. The toughest job of the three for the Patriots is to go to Cincy and beat them on the road. They might catch them at a propitious time though. A victory here would probably help establish HFA.

Miami is in disarray according to theh pundits. Actually I think they are merely finding their true level, after a misleading string of meaningless victoreis over losers and non-trying playoff bound clubs to close last season. That set ureasonable expectatiosn that weren't merited at all. The Phish had no opportunity to add talent to their roster this offseason and the Defense is a year older but still playing with vigor. The new secondary is still gelling, and yielding critical plays, though. The Offensive line is a mess though, and there is no talent there to expect any improvement. If the offensive ineptness wears out the aged DLine... Katy Bar the door. A victory here would likely insure a AFCE title.

I am sanguine that the Patriots can win at least one of the three, and more than willing to wager that they can win two or maybe all three.:rocker:

 

[14thDragon]

Cincy I have to believe poses the largest threat.

They match up well against us. Their strength, recievers, play to our current weakness, secondary. If we can not shut down the running game with just the front 3, then we will be in trouble. I figure we will see a lot of nickle during that game to take the pressure off of the secondary and allow safety help for the corners.

On defense, so far they have concentrated on stopping the run, allowing Frye and Huard to do damage through the air. I would expect them to try and shut down Dillion and Maroney early. If Brady and the new recievers have not go thier timing down by that game, it could get ugly. That defense is good at generating turn-overs.

Denever we are getting while shaky and I have confidence in our D getting to Culpepper and stopping Brown. But Cincy will take a mistake free (no ints, no missed tackles) game to beat them in thier own house.

 

[richpats]

Don't sleep on Denver- they have this uncanny habit of forcing public opinion against them before they play us, so in essence they are always the underdogs.

 

[mgcolby]

Denver has to score a TD on someone and week 3 against us will most likely be that time. Their defense played well yesterday but did allow Huard to move the ball on them only to pull it together in the red zone and either force a turnover or keep them to a FG. I think the Pats will win this one big after yesterday's embarrasing 2nd half. Each week should end in more continuity between Brady, Jackson and Gabriel. I am definitly dissapointed in Caldwell so far, other than Brown he is the only reciever who has had a chance to get in synch with Brady.

Cincy has definitly been hit by the injury bug. TJ whosyourmamma is hurt although I am not sure how long he will be out and C. Johnson was being looked at after his TD reception yesterday. But R. Johnson has been running like a mad man and Palmer has looked as if he is nearly 100% back. Add in the fact that we will be on the road and I don't feel great about this game. At the beginning of training camp I predicted the Pats would go 14-2 losing one game to Miami (most likely in Miami, which I am not standing by now) and one to either the Broncos, Bengals,Colts or Jags. If they beat Cincy on the road then that will mean that they figured out how to play 4 consistent quarters of football. One thing in our favor for that week is they will be coming off the Steelers game on the road which will probably end one of their starters season and drain them emotionally and physically. You can tell by the way the Bengals players talk that the Steelers are truly in their head.

Miami will get clobbered unless they do a complete 180 between now and week 5.

Looking even further we get three tough games back to back to back with: at Buffalo and then at Minnesota and then home for Indy. With Buffalo and Minnesota suddenly playing well our schedule appears to have gotten a lot tougher through the first part of the season.

 

[PatsSox363804]

Cincinnati is beat up right now. From what I've heard Johnson didn't even know where he was after that hit yesterday, I think it's his first concussion but who knows how he will handle it. Whoseyermama has been hurt, Palmer is recovering still (although he looks very good) and they've played a few sloppy games even though they've won. If CJ and TJ are still banged up for that game then stopping Rudi becomes priority which plays right into our hands, it'll be interesting to see how it shakes up and god knows I don't wish injuries on the Bengals after what we've gone through the last few years but if someone on their team has to get injured the receivers are the ones that would help us the most except for Palmer.