Taking stock of the playoff races at the quarter pole of the NFL season

[sb1]

Meaningless but ok

 

[BelizePats]

That's the current playoff status in the league, based upon the standings.

2020 NFL Football Standings

The AFC has a clear top 7, and the NFC has a clear top 6 with 4 teams tied for #7 at 2-2. I'm not sure what's supposed to be so funny about that, but whatever floats your boat.

Consider the source. Nuf said!

 

[Triumph]

They are a good team as long as their opponent is weak (they'll win again this week against Chicago to go 4-1). Yet to be seen if they can hang with KC or GB. We'll find out soon enough. So far they are 0-1 against contenders...

The Bears are not pushovers.

NE is 0 - 2 vs contenders.

 

[203Pat]

They almost beat the best team in the NFL without Newton and now all of a sudden the Broncos (with Brett Rypien) are worldbeaters? They'll be fine...

I know that you think that when QB's wear a Patriots uniform they're great and when they don't they are terrible but Hoyer is terrible. Rypien is terrible but he had least made some throws early on before the wheels fell off. Hoyer's completed throws were mostly great play design by McDaniels and one ridiculously risky throw to Byrd that was nearly picked. The entire reason Hoyer is on the team is so he can be a "game manager" and steady the ship and not kill us. He killed us. All night. That was Tebow level bad and that is the biggest insult I can ever think for a quarterback. Sailed throws left and right, hospital balls to Izzo and Edelman, the absolutely, positively, inexcusable series of events before the half to cost us three. What does he do in the second half? Coughs the ball up again in an unbelievably stupid manner. HE SAW THE RUSHER BEAT HIS RIGHT TACKLE. And what does he do? Stand there and get strip sacked. If he just can't make the throws that is one thing but it is not just missing throws, it is being reckless with the ball and killing us when the defense is playing the game of their lives against a ridiculous QB/offense.

I cannot say enough bad things about Brian Hoyer as a football player. He has no business being on the roster let alone the backup QB and playing in games. He is what Parcells would call "a progress stopper". I would rather see a guy we don't know is bad yet (Stidham) than a guy we already know is bad and I said that before the game and I said that before Cam showed up.

 

[sb1]

The Bears are not pushovers.

NE is 0 - 2* vs contenders.

FIFY. Both were very winnable.

At full strength there's not one team on the schedule that worries me.

 

[farn]

The Bears are not pushovers.

NE is 0 - 2 vs contenders.

Don't forget to factor in
(1) NE plays a decent amount of games vs non-contenders. They may make the playoffs. Once there/if there, I have limited expectations.
(2) both losses could very well be against the two SB teams

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I know that you think that when QB's wear a Patriots uniform they're great and when they don't they are terrible but Hoyer is terrible. Rypien is terrible but he had least made some throws early on before the wheels fell off. Hoyer's completed throws were mostly great play design by McDaniels and one ridiculously risky throw to Byrd that was nearly picked. The entire reason Hoyer is on the team is so he can be a "game manager" and steady the ship and not kill us. He killed us. All night. That was Tebow level bad and that is the biggest insult I can ever think for a quarterback. Sailed throws left and right, hospital balls to Izzo and Edelman, the absolutely, positively, inexcusable series of events before the half to cost us three. What does he do in the second half? Coughs the ball up again in an unbelievably stupid manner. HE SAW THE RUSHER BEAT HIS RIGHT TACKLE. And what does he do? Stand there and get strip sacked. If he just can't make the throws that is one thing but it is not just missing throws, it is being reckless with the ball and killing us when the defense is playing the game of their lives against a ridiculous QB/offense.

I cannot say enough bad things about Brian Hoyer as a football player. He has no business being on the roster let alone the backup QB and playing in games. He is what Parcells would call "a progress stopper". I would rather see a guy we don't know is bad yet (Stidham) than a guy we already know is bad and I said that before the game and I said that before Cam showed up.

They can design the game plan around Hoyer's strengths, which is handing the ball off for the most part. Hoyer was told he was starting on Saturday, after Cam got the 1st team reps all week. Then he got thrown to the wolves against the Chiefs, and yes, he his play at times was inexcusable. But the Broncos could barely beat the jets last week. We'll be fine. If Lock plays, then it's a different story...I still think we'd win but it will be a little bit more challenging.

 

[203Pat]

They can design the game plan around Hoyer's strengths, which is handing the ball off for the most part. Hoyer was told he was starting on Saturday, after Cam got the 1st team reps all week. Then he got thrown to the wolves against the Chiefs, and yes, he his play at times was inexcusable. But the Broncos could barely beat the jets last week. We'll be fine. If Lock plays, then it's a different story...I still think we'd win but it will be a little bit more challenging.

What are his strengths? He can't throw. He can't run. He doesn't protect the ball. He forces risky passes. So he hands the ball off a bunch of times? How well did that work out for us last night? 10 points. At some point even the Broncos are going to stack the box against us and dare him to throw. Then what do we do on 3rd and 7? Let him bumble around back there and chuck up a pass (if we're lucky and he doesn't cluelessly take a sack)? I am in no way saying we will lose to the Broncos if he plays. What I am saying is I wouldn't go penciling us in at 3-2 heading into the bye if he does.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

So he hands the ball off a bunch of times?

Against the reigning defending champs without Andrews and Mason it wasn't going to work but against a bottom feeder team like Denver it'll more than be enough.

 

[NYCPATS4LIFE]

FIFY. Both were very winnable.

At full strength there's not one team on the schedule that worries me.

Is 2020 gonna be the year of moral victories with this team? At home vs the 49ers and then the bills on the road after the bye. Beat those teams with cam and maybe we can start talking.

 

[Jangles]

They almost beat the best team in the NFL without Newton and now all of a sudden the Broncos (with Brett Rypien) are worldbeaters? They'll be fine...

KC played their worst game of the season and won by 16

what is this almost beat them stuff

 

[sb1]

Is 2020 gonna be the year of moral victories with this team? At home vs the 49ers and then the bills on the road after the bye. Beat those teams with cam and maybe we can start talking.

Like I said not one team scares me on this schedule. The defense got the ultimate test yesterday and passed easily. Mahomes in the best QB in the NFL without a doubt.

Why couldn't we beat the 49ers and Bills?

 

[ivanvamp]

KC played their worst game of the season and won by 16

what is this almost beat them stuff

They won by 16 in large part because the refs literally took a turnover away from NE that would almost certainly have cost them points, and because NE was forced to play a craptastic backup QB on short notice who, predictably, made bonehead plays. If Cam plays in that game, NE likely wins.

So yeah, maybe it's not fair to say that NE "almost beat them", but for sure NE showed they can totally play with KC.

Don't forget...last two games against KC, New England's defense has held them to:

2019: 23 points, 346 yards
2020: 19 points, 326 yards

In both cases, the refs literally stole points from the Patriots, and in both cases, those numbers are WAY below what KC normally produces.

 

[Tottie]

They almost beat the best team in the NFL without Newton and now all of a sudden the Broncos (with Brett Rypien) are worldbeaters? They'll be fine...

They didn't almost beat anybody, and yes you should be worried about the Broncos if Cam can't start. We need to win that game in case the Bills sweep us and Miami steals one. If both those things happen we won't make it even with the 7th spot.

 

[amfootball]

Welp. We are 2 games behind the Bills after one quarter of the season. The good news is the Bills still have to play Seattle and KC but the way Allen is playing they can realistically beat both. Our post-season is largely dependent on beating the Bills when we face them if not then we lose the division by 3+ games most likely. In terms of the WC, it will be a battle. The North has 3 teams with 3 wins. The Titans and Colts also have 3 wins. Anything short of 10 or 11 wins will not be good enough this year. Just too many good teams in the AFC.

 

[fnordcircle]

KC played their worst game of the season and won by 16

It's crazy how football is two teams each playing in a vacuum and not doing anything to impact how good or bad a game the other team has.

 

[venecol]

Denver played both PIT and TEN very tough, losing by a combined 7 points to two playoff teams.

Hoyer/Stidham will be limited by that defense, even with all their injuries. Rypien may be better than Stidham and he's a rook. Driskel is better than Hoyer.

Although Pats defense can keep DEN's scoring down, there's no guarantee the Pats QBs can score a lot against a good D.

 

[Deus Irae]

We're 4 weeks in...

Thus "at the quarter pole of the NFL season"

and the thread should be OT...

No, it shouldn't.

 

[203Pat]

Thus "at the quarter pole of the NFL season"





No, it shouldn't.

If we were 4-0 right now there would be no complaints about this thread.

 

[Deus Irae]

If we were 4-0 right now there would be no complaints about this thread.

That particular poster is a liar who's just trolling. He'd complain about anything at this point.