Is anyone still worried about the Bills?

[Pats2000]

If the Pats and Bills split and finish with the same record, we'll win the division cause of a better division record (unless Bills lose to the Jets). Bills do have a game at Tampa so that could be a loss, but we're at Indy and at Miami so we could have a loss too. Our mindset has to be to run the table from here on. If we can do that we not only win the division, but will be the #1 seed I believe due the best conference record if we end up tied with Tenn or KC for example.

Don't forget Baltimore is still a game ahead of us.

 

[Patsgofor4]

Don't forget Baltimore is still a game ahead of us.

Have you seen their remaining schedule? They’ll be very fortunate to go 5-2 the rest of the way. 4-3 is more likely, though.

 

[Rob0729]

You are way more confident about this game than me. Vrabel will have his team ready coming in here. He loves to get the best of Bill. If we don't play our best game on both sides we will lose. Tenn is not going to lay down or suddenly forget how to play football because of injuries.

The Titans could win, but only if they keep this in a low scoring game in the teens or less. That is the only way they win. I think if the Pats score over 20 points, there is no way the Titans can win.

 

[jimnance]

If you take anybody for granted, they're a test you fail. So far this teem seems dialed in. But you discover that truth only one way, and it's not good.

So we have the luxury as fans to think the Titans has transformed into a gimme through the power of injuries. I have to admit, to steal and mangle a phrase, it's

"A game of chess,
where Tennessee is kingless"

And I really do think that they're badly mangled on offense. But if the D decides to take a game off, unconsciously, and O has its usual limited outing, I could see us losing in the vicinity of 24-17. (that wasn't my call for the game, but what if, yanno?)

As for the Bills, everytime I look at the bottom of the screen thinking about how great we are kicking butt, there they are doing exactly the same thing.

We're the hot pick right now... I'm on the bandwagon, but let's see how this 4 games go.

The 2 road games are the toughest. Buffalo has their backs to the wall. If they lose at home to us,they know theyre cooked. Theyre not a physical team but if they cant get jacked up for that game...
I expect a battle. Unlike Buffalo, Indy IS a physical team and I expect a battle there too. But Wentz doesnt scare me. Taylor will be the primary focus of the D.
And even tho Totans are depleted and youd expect a blowout win- they are also a tough,physical team like the Pats- they will not lay down. And Vrabel has a lot of Belichickian qualities especially great preparation. Our home game vs. Buff should be the easiest of the 4 games but its the nfl.
I am very excited for the opportunity that lies ahead. Never expected to be in this position b4 the season started. I did think we had a shot as a WC but to have a legit shot at #1 seed? Awesome. Can't overstate how impressed Ive been by Mac but now hes facing serious iron for 4 straight weeks. I think he'll handle it well but wont be easy.
Thanksgiving is ovah- but damn! I'm thankful for the Pats to be in this position.
How f'n fortunate are we? 1 year of suckage after greatest 20 year dynasty run in nfl history,lose the GOAT qb and now we're back in the saddle? YeeHAW!!
Cowboy up!

 

[Rob0729]

Agreed. Right behind Diggs

White was getting the Revis/Gilmore treatment by opposing teams. Teams respected him so much that they wouldn't throw in his direction. That is why his stats are pedestrian looking this year. And is a big reason why the Bills' defense has been a top defense this year. The Bills basically took away half the field with White.

I might argue that White might be more important than Diggs or anyone else on the Bills. The Bills have been winning more on defense than offense this year.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

The 2 road games are the toughest. Buffalo has their backs to the wall. If they lose at home to us,they know theyre cooked. Theyre not a physical team but if they cant get jacked up for that game...
I expect a battle. Unlike Buffalo, Indy IS a physical team and I expect a battle there too. But Wentz doesnt scare me. Taylor will be the primary focus of the D.
And even tho Totans are depleted and youd expect a blowout win- they are also a tough,physical team like the Pats- they will not lay down. And Vrabel has a lot of Belichickian qualities especially great preparation. Our home game vs. Buff should be the easiest of the 4 games but its the nfl.
I am very excited for the opportunity that lies ahead. Never expected to be in this position b4 the season started. I did think we had a shot as a WC but to have a legit shot at #1 seed? Awesome. Can't overstate how impressed Ive been by Mac but now hes facing serious iron for 4 straight weeks. I think he'll handle it well but wont be easy.
Thanksgiving is ovah- but damn! I'm thankful for the Pats to be in this position.
How f'n fortunate are we? 1 year of suckage after greatest 20 year dynasty run in nfl history,lose the GOAT qb and now we're back in the saddle? YeeHAW!!
Cowboy up!

Yeah, and so far, that terrrible horrible rebuilding year, we were 1 game under .500! Yippy ki-yay motherf***er!!!

 

[Rob0729]

I really don’t think any individual games translate to others unless it’s part of an ongoing trend where a team can’t stop the run, can’t stop the pass, can’t get pressure etc…There are 11 teams over .500 in the AFC, and pretty much every team has laid at least one egg. Each week simply comes down to who plays tougher and better. I like the Patriots chances any week because they are usually the more physical team, and it’s really hard to execute when you are losing the fistfight, but they can also drop any game if they aren’t playing their best.

Sure one game doesn't mean guarantee a trend especially on a Thursday night game, but we know what Tannehill is (a mediocre QB) and we know know Brown is a very good WR and the Titans' best receiver and they do not have any other WR that is all that good. We also know that Tannehill has been struggling since Henry went down even though the Titans are 2-1 during that time. Tannehill isn't a Brady who can make mediocre WRs productive.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Bandwagon fans always have a big but.

I like big buts, & I cannot lie.

 

[Pats2000]

Have you seen their remaining schedule? They’ll be very fortunate to go 5-2 the rest of the way. 4-3 is more likely, though.

Yeah, but we aren't in control of our destiny at the moment.

 

[Ivan]

Sure one game doesn't mean guarantee a trend especially on a Thursday night game, but we know what Tannehill is (a mediocre QB) and we know know Brown is a very good WR and the Titans' best receiver and they do not have any other WR that is all that good. We also know that Tannehill has been struggling since Henry went down even though the Titans are 2-1 during that time. Tannehill isn't a Brady who can make mediocre WRs productive.

And the Patriots lost to the fish and got smoked by New Orleans, who the Bills just blew out. Sure Tannehill is heavily reliant upon a great run game, but so is New England…..,We can go round and round with this stuff but all that really matters is who shows up and plays tougher and better today, and even without their star skill players the Titans are a smart physical team, so beating them won’t be easy. I like the Patriots chances to get a big win today but it’s not a lock by any means. They can go from the top of the AFC with a win to just another 5 loss team scrapping or a WC berth if they lose, so it’s their biggest game of the year, and how they respond to that will be fascinating to watch, and probably pretty telling on where they are at overall. Should be fun.

 

[Rob0729]

Yeah, but we aren't in control of our destiny at the moment.

There is a decent chance by the end of the night, the Pats will be in control of their destiny. I can see the Pats beating the Titans and the Ravens losing to the Browns. If that happens and the Pats and Ravens finish with the same record, the Pats hold the tie breakers. The Pats would have the common opponents tie breaker since the only common opponents they have are the Dolphins and Browns and the Ravens would have lost to both. And the Pats currently only have one conference loss and the Ravens have three (four if they lose tonight). And the Ravens only have two more non-conference games left on their schedule.

 

[Rob0729]

And the Patriots lost to the fish and got smoked by New Orleans, who the Bills just blew out. Sure Tannehill is heavily reliant upon a great run game, but so is New England…..,We can go round and round with this stuff but all that really matters is who shows up and plays tougher and better today, and even without their star skill players the Titans are a smart physical team, so beating them won’t be easy. I like the Patriots chances to get a big win today but it’s not a lock by any means. They can go from the top of the AFC with a win to just another 5 loss team scrapping or a WC berth if they lose, so it’s their biggest game of the year, and how they respond to that will be fascinating to watch, and probably pretty telling on where they are at overall. Should be fun.

The Pats and Bills faced two very different Saints teams. They faced a Saints team with no Kamara, no Ingraham, no Winston, no Davenport. The Patriots would have beaten the Saints team that played Thursday night.

The Pats have 13 new starters including a rookie and their o-line was a disaster the first month. The Patriots of right now are not the Patriots of September. Mac Jones had his worst game of his short career against the Dolphins. And he was on a really short leash in both games where they didn't even let him throw to the end zone when they were in the red zone. The Pats are on a five game winning streak after starting the season 2-4. This is clearly not the same team that started the season.

I never said the game today is a given. But the Pats have no excuses to lose this game. Right now, they are the better team by quite a bit due to injuries. I still think the Pats will win convincingly, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lose a game if it is a low scoring affair like 13-10. I just cannot see Tannehill, who has scored 3 TDs and 5 INTs in the three games since Henry went down, scoring a lot of points without AJ Brown.

 

[jimnance]

4-3?

Who do we lose to?

Seems you don't think too highly of the team?

He was talking about Balt

 

[Wozzy]

Mac’s got big mitts, the Patriots play a conservative but smart offense in the snow… I’m not the least bit worried about weather.

 

[Rob0729]

Mac’s got big mitts, the Patriots play a conservative but smart offense in the snow… I’m not the least bit worried about weather.

I am still mildly concerned about whether he can perform in the cold and snow or not. Being able to grip the ball isn't the only thing. Some players just cannot handle the cold for whatever reason from they don't like to get hit to them getting distracted by the cold.

 

[Pats2000]

There is a decent chance by the end of the night, the Pats will be in control of their destiny. I can see the Pats beating the Titans and the Ravens losing to the Browns. If that happens and the Pats and Ravens finish with the same record, the Pats hold the tie breakers. The Pats would have the common opponents tie breaker since the only common opponents they have are the Dolphins and Browns and the Ravens would have lost to both. And the Pats currently only have one conference loss and the Ravens have three (four if they lose tonight). And the Ravens only have two more non-conference games left on their schedule.

I hope that's the case. I dont want to see the Ravens get hot and grab the #1 seed, same with the Bills

 

[Ivan]

The Pats and Bills faced two very different Saints teams. They faced a Saints team with no Kamara, no Ingraham, no Winston, no Davenport. The Patriots would have beaten the Saints team that played Thursday night.

The Pats have 13 new starters including a rookie and their o-line was a disaster the first month. The Patriots of right now are not the Patriots of September. Mac Jones had his worst game of his short career against the Dolphins. And he was on a really short leash in both games where they didn't even let him throw to the end zone when they were in the red zone. The Pats are on a five game winning streak after starting the season 2-4. This is clearly not the same team that started the season.

I never said the game today is a given. But the Pats have no excuses to lose this game. Right now, they are the better team by quite a bit due to injuries. I still think the Pats will win convincingly, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lose a game if it is a low scoring affair like 13-10. I just cannot see Tannehill, who has scored 3 TDs and 5 INTs in the three games since Henry went down, scoring a lot of points without AJ Brown.

You put much more weight on injuries than I do. IMO injuries are just a fact of life in the NFL and you never get excuses for them. I think the “ we would have won but “ that we here from fans of losing teams every week of every year is a load of sh.t, and those excuses are one of the worst things about the NFL and its fans. There may be no crying in baseball but there is nothing but crying in the NFL. If you aren’t built to withstand losing important players then you aren’t built to win a championship.

 

[Rob0729]

You put much more weight on injuries than I do. IMO injuries are just a fact of life in the NFL and you never get excuses for them. I think the “ we would have won but “ that we here from fans of losing teams every week of every year is a load of sh.t, and those excuses are one of the worst things about the NFL and its fans. There may be no crying in baseball but there is nothing but crying in the NFL. If you aren’t built to withstand losing important players then you aren’t built to win a championship.

When a team is decimated by injuries like the Saints were on Thursday night, I do. And big reason why the Saints lost on Thursday was because Trevor Simien was awful. He didn't play against the Patriots. If the Saints lost either Winston or Kamara, that would be one thing. But when you start losing all your best players on one side of the ball (a side you weren't all that great at in the first place), it becomes an insurmountable task.

Injuries are a part of the game, but that doesn't mean a team can have so many injuries that it becomes insurmountable. I am not crying for the Saints. I am just pointing out the Pats and Bills faced two very different Saints teams with very different situations.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I hope that's the case. I dont want to see the Ravens get hot and grab the #1 seed, same with the Bills

i think the opposite happens with Baltimore. They remind me alot of last years steelers. Credit to them winning all these close games but its bound to catch up to them. they are a prime candidate for a late season collapse imo

 

[sb1]

Forecast in Orchard Park NY where the Bills are for next Monday night is now less than 50% of snow high in the 30’s and low in the mid 20’s with light to moderate wind.

Will still be a good preview of January football in Foxboro for Mac.