Patriots Pregame Thread Pats-Ratbirds thread

[cmasspatsfan]

This looks like the perfect story line for a loss that the Pats have had all year. THEY are beat up, while the other team is getting healthier. THEY are questioning themselves. THEIR all-world QB is suddenly not so "all world". THEIR brilliant OC looks like he will be fired after one bad half, etc, etc, etc.

Well, it's all true. They ARE beat up and missing key people, and they are going on the road to meet with a desperate team who seems to be getting better. So, it doesn't look good...according to the mediots and most of us here. But while I watched the Bears/Packers for most of the night, I couldn't help drawing the comparison. Here you had a Packers team losing their top player and beat up in other areas, going against a hot team on the road. And except for the most amazing and luckiest 2 minutes I have ever seen, walked away with the win. Man, the Bears have had SOOOOOO much good luck this season. Well, we are the Packers in this scenario, and the story line looks the same. Except we don't blow the 10-point lead with 2 minutes to play.

How to win? We have to play a clean game. We have to run the ball. And finally, we have to get some ****ing TURNOVERS. This is a character game for the Pats. This is an adversity game. This is the game where I hope we see Drake Maye to his best imitation of Josh Allen. This is a game where I hope we see, Maye have at least 3 designated runs and Boutte takes one deep.

At any rate this is going to be an interesting game to watch and comment on afterwords.

Don't turn the ball over and i like our chances.

 

[FCB02062]

If there aren't any chunk plays in the passing game like last game vs Buffalo it will be a long frustrating night for Maye and Co. Receivers need separation, something we have not seen much this season. I think tonight we see what the Pats really are - a decent team who's benefitted from a very easy schedule, a team that with a schedule of average difficulty is a 7 or 8 win team - just as many of the realistic folks here predicted. Maye has all the tools but played mediocre competition all through college and last weekend at the first sign of adversity he turned into a pumpkin. If he comes up small again tonight that is a VERY bad sign. Maye may not be the second coming as we all thought he was if he puts up another crunch time stinker in Baltimore.
Win tonight, and change the narrative that this team is fraudulent.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Wow twin ALL pro future HOF Barmore is actually going to play.. I'm sure he will have another HOF day with 10 plus pressures and multiple Tackles for losses.. I think we should redo his contract now he's outdone himself... I'm sure they are going to have to probably put all 5 OL on him.. he can't be stopped...

Henry has to be...

You're embarrassing yourself. In one post you say he needs to be replaced, on the next page you say he's a good player, then you say he needs to be replaced again, then you start mocking those who say he's a good player, when you just agreed with them in an earlier post. You have literally no ability to take a position and defend it or stand by it. It's like a character on Saturday Night Live who agrees with everything everyone says.

 

[Uptown]

 

[TheRainMaker]

If there aren't any chunk plays in the passing game like last game vs Buffalo it will be a long frustrating night for Maye and Co.

We need to see this. Like last week, Buffalo had times where they stuffed the run and forced the Pats into obvious passing downs. Maye and the receivers couldn’t get it done.

I think tonight we see what the Pats really are - a decent team who's benefitted from a very easy schedule, a team that with a schedule of average difficulty is a 7 or 8 win team - just as many of the realistic folks here predicted.

The 2001 Pats lost 4 straight times to .500 or better teams and couldn’t beat a team outside of their division with that record until the playoffs rolled around. They were a feel good story who nobody took seriously until they the hoisted the Lombardi. With that said, I want to see the Pats bounce back on national TV beating a desperate Ravens team that has playoff experience. This would be a good win for them.

 

[patfanken]

It's a pretty good gut check game. I think what we saw last week was a combination of not having that extra gear when it's needed -- not realizing deep down that it's "war" -- and also, perhaps, not being "that team" yet... bc Drake is not "that guy," yet. It's also possible that Drake's just not "that guy" and won't be, but I don't like to think about that. Plenty of room for the "yet" to apply. But we need him to be able to keep the game going even when the D needs help - and he couldn't in the second half, last week.

Now we're talking about how our side is banged up, our brilliant OC looks like he will fired, etc., which I understand you're saying tongue-in-cheek-ish-ly. But we're not the only banged-up team in the league (or in this game.) We can say and think what we want, but THEY need to be finding ways to win, not reasons they lost...

We have to watch and hope that this week, we (1) start strong per last week and (2) remember the problem of having to win 2 halves of football.

Yes, to all the hoped-for outcomes (generate TOs, yes to trusting the running game -- what's not to trust?, yes to a "clean game," although that's as much on the refs as the Pats. The "there's holding-on-every-play" asterisk applies to "just don't give them anything to call."

But then there's that last factor: Want it more. NEED it. Tough to do when, in literal terms, they NEED it and we just WANT it. That's what TFB was able to do, and it was infectious.

You are right on one point for sure. It isn't about the 3 or 5 guys that AREN'T there. It's about the 46 that ARE there. These arem't guys who are 50% worse than the guys they are replacing. They are guys who are 5-10% worse, and it is our hope that they RISE to the occasion and elevate their game and play well. It is about guys like Maye, Diggs, and Henderson/Stevenson carrying their teammates and doing some special things that change the game in our favor. If we don't see that kind of EXECUTION, I at least want to see that kind of attitude and effort from this team.

Anyway, as you say, it'll be fun to watch and comment on

 

[ViperGTS]

If Maye struggles again it won't be a good sign. He needs to dominate tonight, no questions asked.

 

[Huckleberry1]

If Maye struggles again it won't be a good sign. He needs to dominate tonight, no questions asked.

Yes, his career will be over. Back to Mac Jones.

 

[mgteich]

If Maye struggles again it won't be a good sign. He needs to dominate tonight, no questions asked.

Why?

We need to win the last two games. This game is a bonus. I'm OK with a loss as long as there are no new injuries.

 

[PScottman]

He needs to dominate tonight, no questions asked.

Or what?

The season's over?

They need to draft another QB?

An "ultimatum" for a second year QB in basically a playoff situation makes zero sense at this point in his development.

Set all expectations at Tom Brady level and you'll almost always be disappointed.

 

[mgteich]

This is essentially a playoff game for the Ravens. Every game for them is an elimination game at this point if they want to get into the playoffs.

This will be another good test for the team to see how they fair against a team who's playing not to be eliminated.
==================

This is NOT an elimination game for BALT. As is it with us, if they lose, they still will be guaranteed to be in by winning their last 2 games. They even still have a 31% chance if they lose tonight and next week as long as they win their final game against PIT.
.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Or what?

The season's over?

They need to draft another QB?

An "ultimatum" for a second year QB in basically a playoff situation makes zero sense at this point in his development.

Set all expectations at Tom Brady level and you'll almost always be disappointed.

Which is exactly what's happening. Had anyone predicted before the season that Maye would have this kind of season people would not have believed it, now those same people are setting ultimatums and acting like the sky will fall if he doesn't destroy everything in his path, it's idiotic. This has been a fun season, and the franchise has been turned around in one season to the point where they will in all likelihood be contenders for years to come, but that's not good enough, now the people saying that Houston and Denver will pound them are also acting like it will be the end of the world if they get knocked out of the playoffs.

 

[ViperGTS]

Or what?

The season's over?

They need to draft another QB?

An "ultimatum" for a second year QB in basically a playoff situation makes zero sense at this point in his development.

Set all expectations at Tom Brady level and you'll almost always be disappointed.

Would lean towards that for sure. If he doesn't dominate on the road against a hungry playoff tested Ravens team...what are the odds that he would beat Denver in Denver? Yeah, so this is a big test for him.

 

[Ross12]

Looking things over, if the Pats can get a win tonight and beat the Jets next week, and if the Bills lose vs the Eagles next week (which feels semi-likely, as that's a bad matchup for Buffalo), the Pats would have the division locked up in week 17 and would be able to fine tune things, rest some guys and get prepped for week 1 of the playoffs in the final week vs the Dolphins without the stress.

 

[mgteich]

elevating a player means that someone else in now inactive.

So, when you see the inactives, suggest who you might want elevated and who would be your additional inactive.

UPDATE: Reiss says that we are not elevating anyone.

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

No worries. We gun bring it!
I hate bye's.
It's redemption time.... LFG!!!!!!

 

[ViperGTS]

Looking things over, if the Pats can get a win tonight and beat the Jets next week, and if the Bills lose vs the Eagles next week (which feels semi-likely, as that's a bad matchup for Buffalo), the Pats would have the division locked up in week 17 and would be able to fine tune things, rest some guys and get prepped for week 1 of the playoffs in the final week vs the Dolphins without the stress.

Williams comes back next week for a tune up, and if Big Country can be chugging beers at a Bruins game, he damn well be ready for a tune up against the Jets.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Looking things over, if the Pats can get a win tonight and beat the Jets next week, and if the Bills lose vs the Eagles next week (which feels semi-likely, as that's a bad matchup for Buffalo), the Pats would have the division locked up in week 17 and would be able to fine tune things, rest some guys and get prepped for week 1 of the playoffs in the final week vs the Dolphins without the stress.

Why is playing Philly a bad match up fur BUF? Eagles have no idea what team they are.

 

[slash83]

Williams comes back next week for a tune up, and if Big Country can be chugging beers at a Bruins game, he damn well be ready for a tune up against the Jets.

Is Campbell eligible to play next weekend? I thought he can return the last game vs Miami but could be wrong.

 

[PScottman]

Would lean towards that for sure. If he doesn't dominate on the road against a hungry playoff tested Ravens team...what are the odds that he would beat Denver in Denver? Yeah, so this is a big test for him.

Dominate?

The hyperbole is strong with this one.

Everything from this point forward is gravy for most.