Pursuit of the Bye (1st Seed)

[The Gr8est]

I’ll say it:

I’m ALREADY thrilled with this season. If they win only 2 of the remaining games and get to 11 wins that would be far exceeding my expectations in year 1 of a rebuild.

Yes, they’ve played well enough to alter short term expectations, but I don’t want to lose sight of how drastically different it’s been to follow this team this year vs the last few.

Last year obviously being such a low that I wasn’t sure we’d see meaning football for a long time.

It’s incredible what the staff has done.

And I’m really interested to see next year and the one after if they can keep hitting on more draft picks than they miss on.

As for this year, there’s just something that tells me they don’t quite have the horses for a SB yet.

And that’s ok.

I have far more confidence with our current staff to run our draft.

Last year was the best one I can remember.

 

[Real fan 02]

Denver's luck is going to run: glad they exorcised the Ghost of Patrick Mahomes yesterday. But that's as far as they will go: their Offense is kind of anemic. We have the Offense that would give their D some problems.

In the postseason is about the play of the QB.. Denver is heavily reliant on thier defense.. if we saw them in the postseason we have the OC that can combat what denvers defense does.

 

[Ring 6]

When you only play Tom Brady for a few drives then take him out for the rest of the game is intentionally losing. The #3 seed on the line and they had no problem giving that to Cincy.

No it’s not. Resting players is not intentionally losing.

 

[TheRainMaker]

No it’s not. Resting players is not intentionally losing.

Playing backups against the other teams starters is intentionally losing.

 

[Ring 6]

Playing backups against the other teams starters is intentionally losing.

No it isn’t. Resting players is not intentionally losing. Throwing a game is intentionally losing.

 

[n1997y]

I always find it funny when commentators think that a prerequisite for team success is narrative fulfillment lmao. "Pay your dues" k got it, as if Maye has no idea what losing is like from last year.

Gotta pay your dues. It’s the Puritan Ethic. Nothing can be too easy. Like, what makes it too easy,brather than just easy? So even easy is not acceptable. It’s a totally bs way of thinking.

 

[NormZauchin]

Like Brady needed to lose first before he could learn how to win?

I must have missed that.

I'll mention Bill Russell as the epitome of someone who "never needed to lose before he learned how to win." Bill won an Olympic gold medal in basketball, two NCAA national basketball championships, and 11 NBA championships. And in 1956 he was the seventh best high jumper in the world and was invited to participate in high jumping in the summer Olympics but decided to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team instead.

 

[signbabybrady]

Red and Bill helped with that.

 

[NFL Mystique]

When was the last time the Pats played important games in December?

Last year when the #1 overall pick was at stake?

2021 & 2022

 

[NFL Mystique]

No it’s not. Resting players is not intentionally losing.

How would you describe the 2015 finale? That kind of felt like intentionally losing with HFA on the line.

 

[dliverey44]

I wanted to bring up something that I am concerned about, during the Tampa game in the offenses 1st series it was raining, and Maye had several balls that sailed and came out of his hand seemingly oddly.

Is it just me or does anyone else find it a reason for concern?

 

[Real fan 02]

2021 & 2022

2021 was a fake rebuild year. 2022 was a botched season.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

How would you describe the 2015 finale? That kind of felt like intentionally losing with HFA on the line.

Was that the season where Bill during the final stretch of the year forgot how to coach? Weird final few games with bizarre coaching decisions

 

[NFL Mystique]

Was that the season where Bill during the final stretch of the year forgot how to coach? Weird final few games with bizarre coaching decisions

Fake punt, kicking off in OT and conceiding the 1 seed. That was a rough month for him.

 

[mgcolby]

I wanted to bring up something that I am concerned about, during the Tampa game in the offenses 1st series it was raining, and Maye had several balls that sailed and came out of his hand seemingly oddly.

Is it just me or does anyone else find it a reason for concern?

Well it definitely wasn't reassuring. Hopefully that will be a point of improvement/practice during the upcoming weeks. The old garden hose method or something.

 

[mgteich]

I just hope we make the playoffs, then let’s see where we end up.

We're either 98% or 99% to make the playoffs at this point. One win (jets) might be enough. Two (say the jets and cinci) will surely be enough.

 

[mgteich]

Playing backups against the other teams starters is intentionally losing.

semantics
Doing your best to try to win (let us say the SB) is indeed different from resting players and have those that are left play their very best.
I am reminded of college games in times well passed when Nebraska or Oklahoma would have their 4th string playing their best and still continue to score TD's.
========
CONSIDER
We could "rest" Stevenson, Hooper, Farmer, Boutte and/or Ellis for this game, giving them very few reps (or even having a couple inactive). Would that be internally losing?

Of course NOT.

It could be argued that having some of these players have few reps for the next two games would give us the best chance of going deep into the playoffs.

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

I wanted to bring up something that I am concerned about, during the Tampa game in the offenses 1st series it was raining, and Maye had several balls that sailed and came out of his hand seemingly oddly.

Is it just me or does anyone else find it a reason for concern?

Not really.. every QB has to learn to play in the elements. He's barely had any opportunities so it probably just caught him off guard.

If it ends up that he has severe issues throwing a wet ball, I expect the Patriot brain trust to be able to diagnose and treat the issue.

 

[Real fan 02]

We're either 98% or 99% to make the playoffs at this point. One win (jets) might be enough. Two (say the jets and cinci) will surely be enough.

Nfl people nationally have the highest probability of making it with 10 wins... this game Sunday is pivotal. Need to get to 10 wins first and foremost...

NFL playoff picture: Postseason probabilities entering Week 12 of the 2025 season

 

[Ring 6]

How would you describe the 2015 finale? That kind of felt like intentionally losing with HFA on the line

Why would they throw the game with home field on the line?
Playing poorly, having a bad game plan, getting upset are very different than throwing a game.
Can you give a possible motivation to prefer to lose in 2015?

If I remember correctly every RB we had was injured and we heavily emphasized the run with Steven Jackson coming out of retirement.
Getting reps for the guy who needs it, and figuring out if you have any running fans at all isn’t throwing a game.