We CANNOT lose any of our remaining games.

[Fencer]

Wild Card teams can win Super Bowls.

So I think 3rd/4th seeds can as well.

 

[PATSNUTme]

We CANNOT not move this thread to the PS.

It's close but he has both feet down and control of the ball.

 

[dannydyn]

The Broncos do have to play the Ravens in Baltimore. I wouldn't call that a cake walk. The other three games yes, cakewalk, but not the fourth. I could see the Broncos and the Ravens both finishing with at least 4 losses.

I agree, I forgot that one, but the Ravens have been looking like a monkey fcking a football as of late....

But alas.... from your mouth, to god's ears

 

[mayoclinic]

Wild Card teams can win Super Bowls.

So I think 3rd/4th seeds can as well.

Indy in 2006 - #3 seed. They edged out the #4 seed in the AFCCG in the final minute - some team from NE, IIRC.

 

[Steve102]

They've locked up their division and guaranteed at least one home playoff game. They can lose all four of their remaining games.

It's all seeding now, and that's important, but not essential.

Deus is right. What is essential is playing well in the tournament. Wins. The rest of this regular season is really gravy. It's a great problem to have. Personally, I fell this team, with a 1000 yrd rusher on the roster, is built for the postseason. Gimme a #2 seed and a home divisional round game. Let the chips fall where they may for the championship. I am not afraid to go on the road for the AFC Championship.

Of course, I may feel differently about all of this Tuesday morning.

 

[BradyManny]

So what you're saying is that to be considered the best team in the NFL, we need to avoid all those other teams that might be considered the best?

This.

If we are serious about winning the SB this year, we'll win out anyway.

 

[chasa]

Houston is flawed.

Our defense matches up pretty well with them.

Foster is their number one weapon a tough between the tackles runner.

That's our bread and butter right now on D

Wilfork and the Line takes care of foster, Put 2 guys on Johnson.

Then its all about the offense keeping tabs on Watt.

I full expect a big pats win, and people in the media talking about how the sky is falling in texas.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

In any case, the players need to approach with a mindset that each game is must win.

However, even if we win out, we'd still need Houston to lose one of the Indy games or to Minnesota in order to leapfrog them. Possible but not extremely likely if you ask me, certainly not going to bank on it. So even if we win out, don't get your hopes all up for the 1 seed.

I think it's a heck of alot more likely that Denver loses a game and Bmore loses 2 more with all their injuries, which would allow us to lose 1 and go 12-4 but still get the 2 seed Again I wouldn't get my hopes TOO high on it but I think this scenario is more likely.

Regardless of what happens, the only thing I would've had a major major problem with is if we went 13-3 and didn't end up with a bye, which right now looks very unlikely. If we win out we deserve a bye and I believe will get it. If we don't get the bye at least we can say we had a fair chance and lost it.

 

[Kontradiction]

I CANNOT eat Taco Bell anymore.

I hear alot of people saying oh if you eat Taco Bell then it's not so bad.

Erm well yes it is because,

A) The chances of me going to the toilet are higher if I eat Taco Bell.

B) Diarrhea is coming again and lucked out by me being busy at work.

C) The chances of us getting at least at least to the urinal are slim if I eat Taco Bell.

D) Please don't forget some company named McDonald's and their conglomerates have the same ability to induce diarrhea and i don't really fancy going there either.

 

[Mack Herron]

As long as we hoist the trophy at the end I don't care what our record was. Ask the Giants.

 

[JR4]

PATs are in the Playoffs. Win the division goal ... Achieved.

What's the next goal, BB? To get a bye? i once thought that was
important but not so anymore. A bye might cause some players to
relax and not keep their edge. There will be health issues with or without
the bye.

In recent interviews with players I've heard the strange idea
"We've got 4 games left to get better"

A bye? nice but I don't believe BB has that even on his top 5 list.
That list might include things like

1. Work on the issues that have been identified against some really good teams.
2. After playing these teams, learn from the mistakes.
3. Ramp up to be mentally and physically tough for the playoffs
4. Get Healthy .. take extra care of your body and mind.
5. Towards end of season coaches and support staff begin working
on the most likely teams to be played in the first playoff game.

Dam the Bye --- full speed ahead!

 

[Rob0729]

There is no simple formula to winning the Super Bowl. Last year, the Giants were 6-5 after 11 games and finished the season 9-7. They played at home on Wild Card weekend and then went into Green Bay then San Fran as significant underdogs in each to go to the Super Bowl.

Obviously, the Pats winning out and getting at least a bye as the #2 seed would make it easier to get to the Super Bowl, but recent history has shown that there are about as many teams who played Wild Card weekend who got to or even won a Super Bowl as there are who had byes.

 

[Ring 6]

PATs are in the Playoffs. Win the division goal ... Achieved.

What's the next goal, BB? To get a bye? i once thought that was
important but not so anymore. A bye might cause some players to
relax and not keep their edge. There will be health issues with or without
the bye.

In recent interviews with players I've heard the strange idea
"We've got 4 games left to get better"

A bye? nice but I don't believe BB has that even on his top 5 list.
That list might include things like

1. Work on the issues that have been identified against some really good teams.
2. After playing these teams, learn from the mistakes.
3. Ramp up to be mentally and physically tough for the playoffs
4. Get Healthy .. take extra care of your body and mind.
5. Towards end of season coaches and support staff begin working
on the most likely teams to be played in the first playoff game.

Dam the Bye --- full speed ahead!

No, the bye is very, very important. It is a free pass to round 2.
The point is that while it is important and makes the jopb much easier, it isn't like it used to be where its almost impossible to get there without one.
It helps tremendously. Not having it can be overcome, but its a much, much harder road.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

There is no simple formula to winning the Super Bowl. Last year, the Giants were 6-5 after 11 games and finished the season 9-7. They played at home on Wild Card weekend and then went into Green Bay then San Fran as significant underdogs in each to go to the Super Bowl.

Obviously, the Pats winning out and getting at least a bye as the #2 seed would make it easier to get to the Super Bowl, but recent history has shown that there are about as many teams who played Wild Card weekend who got to or even won a Super Bowl as there are who had byes.

A few posters made a point about that in a recent thread though - Even though recently the # of teams to win a SB each way (with a bye or being a WC team) is about equal, the ratio of success is actually greater for the teams with a bye. Since each year only 4 teams get byes and 8 teams are playing on WC weekend, the fact that there's about the same # of SB winners from each category actually means that you're about twice as likely to win it all if you have the bye. So statistically, there is an advantage to having the bye.

 

[resdubwhite]

Those things have nothing to do with each other, unless you are suggesting we tell football players not to play because its so hard to go out there and not get injured so we'd rather have you sit for awhile and come back and play out of sync in a bigger game.

split hairs if you want.

There is a possibility that there are players playing at less than 100% that could be rushed back sooner than they or ready, or play when they should be rested.

Don't try to be so smart.

 

[gmtaxi27]

I don't think we need the bye to win the Super Bowl, but it will sure make the road a lot easier.

I think we can use the rest, and does anybody here want to see a possible matchup vs the Steelers with a Big Ben in the first round.

The Steelers are getting healthy, and their defense is playing real well now. I can see them making a Giants type of run to the SuperBowl. They are the one team that many are overlooking that concern me.

 

[MossWelkowski]

Just beat HOU... then the patriots have nothing to lose against SF IMO... If they win great. If they lose oh well.


SF will be under more pressure than NE in that game.

 

[I.M. Fletcher]

Houston isn't the sure bet to get either byes like I thought a few weeks ago. They have us Monday, then back home for a hot Indy team and minny, then on the road for the colts again.

Heck, they can still lose the division if we beat them and get swept by the colts. An unlikely occurrence, but the remaining part of their schedule can create a myriad of problems.

 

[realtime]

Really, the only team that scares me right now are the Broncos. With Payton at the helm, and with a cakewalk remaining schedule, I don’t see how they don’t go 4-0 to finsih at 13-3. If we win the rest of our matches, we are golden (having won the tie-breaker against the Denver, and (if) defeated the Texans). I think we’re playing for the second seed at WORST. Any seed lower than that, and the road to the Superbowl has just gotten that much tougher.

Tomak And Bellgarde (The Two Foreign Guys) - YouTube

 

[Ring 6]

split hairs if you want.

There is a possibility that there are players playing at less than 100% that could be rushed back sooner than they or ready, or play when they should be rested.

Don't try to be so smart.

If you are saying Bill Belichick will sit players out of games and lose them because he thinks that is better than having them play football, we just will not agree. That has never, ever been his MO.