Bump.
3-0 for the home streak and 7-2 at the bye. Not bad.
The AFC is looking pretty crowded right now, and San Diego has fallen off the cliff:
7-2 Pats
6-2 Broncos
6-3 or 5-4 Colts (still to play on MNF against the Giants)
5-2-1 Bengals
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6-3 Steelers/Ravens winner (Steelers leading by 12 at the half)
5-3 Dolphins
5-3 Bills
5-3 Chiefs
5-3 Browns
5-4 Steelers/Ravens loser (note: the Ravens have lost to Cincinnati twice; if Pittsburgh loses they will have lost to the Ravens twice)
5-4 Chargers
I like the idea of, within a brief span, derailing (if only temporarily) every other top AFC team. For a young team like this (and with BB always their to temper it), I believe it is a marked positive for the young star struck guys to play through a noticeably tough portion of the schedule, come out on top/see the results, then be taught the golden rule: you aren't as good as they will make you think you are.
Obviously the last one needed to accomplish this mini-feat is beating Indy. Looking at the schedule Indy is, due to playing the game in the dome, maybe the toughest game remaining (at least that argument can be made for Indy). While the Colts are certainly capable of winning this game, if the Patriots of late (Chicago, Denver, Cincy) is what our A game actually looks like, I believe that A game will see us best Indy and GB. With Detroit being a dome team but playing at the Razor, I put them a step below Indy and GB in terms of difficulty in getting the W. And with SD, what I have seem of them lately (albeit subjective), if that's the team we play then a less than A game shouldn't be needed for the W (I hadn't seen SD until recently: looking shaky VS the Raiders, ok against KC, floundering against Denver, and absolutely putrid against Miami).
Our picture is then a bit brighter considering both Buff and Miami are home games (late season division games can be tough - being at home is a boost). I would have put Miami as one of the toughest games remaining (and it could be the case), however, I'm counting on Miami losing steam as the weather gets colder, having to play in Foxboro, history (or at least that's my hope).
Odd moment: With 7 games to go the Jets are the clearest, by far, incapable/should get the W against them team. Even though the Jets are a top to bottom grotesque abomination simply for being the Jets, it still feels odd that their fall has been so extreme that they would be the only game in a 7 game span to be considered "the easy win".
