Pursuit of the Bye (1st Seed)

[Actual Pats Fan]

I’m sure KC will lose, but…there’s something about going all the way down to their third string quarterback that actually makes me feel more hopeful they might win, it’s such a ridiculous scenario and sports are weird sometimes. Probably not that likely but you never know, it could be a Christmas miracle

Looking back on 2001, there was tragedy in the beginning of the season and plenty of adversity to face, but along with all that there was a ton of good fortune. You make your own good luck. You put yourself in a position to succeed, and if that opportunity presents itself, you are ready to take advantage of it.

No one realistically considered them a Super Bowl contender before and during most of the season.

This Patriots franchise has been here, several times before.

After that miserable loss to the Steelers, I said the Patriots looked like they were trying too hard. In retrospect, I think that may have been a good thing in the long run. In professional sports, desire, commitment and motivation make the difference in a business in which people are getting paid to do what they do.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

To add an extra playoff BROADCAST.

 

[mgteich]

I cant see the Broncos losing another game.

@ KC and LAC at home.

 

[mgteich]

No, you are correct. The chargers get no respect. They have their chance at winning the AFC West. Most likely they will lose to HOU or DEN, or not.

 

[Triumph]

You can't see the team that just got stomped at home, the team that beat the Mariota-led Commanders by one point, the team that beat the Jets 13-11, the Raiders 10-7, lose another game? The Chargers have won 7 out of their last 8 games, their only loss to the Jags, who did the same thing to Denver, and they're 1-0 against Denver this season.

Denver isn't even close to being as good as their record suggests. They fought tooth and nail against the worst teams in the league. A worse version than last years Chiefs team, that had miraculous luck throughout the season. I would have no quarrel if someone argues the same thing with our team, so this isn't a biased take that ignores that we barely beat a Flacco-led Bengals team, etc... Both of our teams have flaws, the only difference is that we play two bad teams, and they play one bad and one, that's at the very least as good as them.

If the defending champs, Pats, can lose to a 4-11 Fitzpatrick-led team at home in the last game of the year, and with that lose the bye, this Denver team isn't guaranteed anything.

All teams have let down games that are unexplained losses.

That's the nature of sports. Buffalo squeaked past the awful Browns led by Sheduer Sanders.

Denver was stomped? The game was tied 17 - 17 in the 3rd quarter. Yahoo's claim that Nix is a fraud. Oh yeah, 24 TDs, 10 INTs, 17 sacks, 5 - 4th qcb and 6 game winning drives.

The Jaguars were a wake up call and not a trend that Denver is falling apart, but dream on.

 

[mgteich]

All teams have let down games that are unexplained losses.

That's the nature of sports. Buffalo squeaked past the awful Browns led by Sheduer Sanders.

Denver was stomped? The game was tied 17 - 17 in the 3rd quarter. Yahoo's claim that Nix is a fraud. Oh yeah, 24 TDs, 10 INTs, 17 sacks, 5 - 4th qcb and 6 game winning drives.

The Jaguars were a wake up call and not a trend that Denver is falling apart, but dream on.

I don't think that DEN is falling apart. DEN is on the way up, as we are. And as are the jags and the chargers. All four of us are competing with BUF for its top spot and all hope that KC will not come back to the top anytime soon.

 

[Kargetina]

All teams have let down games that are unexplained losses.

That's the nature of sports. Buffalo squeaked past the awful Browns led by Sheduer Sanders.

Denver was stomped? The game was tied 17 - 17 in the 3rd quarter. Yahoo's claim that Nix is a fraud. Oh yeah, 24 TDs, 10 INTs, 17 sacks, 5 - 4th qcb and 6 game winning drives.

The Jaguars were a wake up call and not a trend that Denver is falling apart, but dream on.

Denver has two wins by double digits the entire season. One against the Bengals with Flacco and one against the Cowboys. The other 4 AFC teams that have clinched the playoffs have at least 5+ such wins. Denver doesn't have let down games, they are simply not even close to being a 12-3 quality team without having ridiculous luck all year long. Their average margin of victory in their other 10 games they've won is 4 points. And yes, in a game where the Jaguars were just running the clock in the 4th quarter and still won by two TD's, that's a blow-out. They could have easily scored 40+ on them if needed.

Your last sentence makes me think you're posting on the wrong forum. You can continue to cheer for the Broncos, i'll keep on supporting my team and ''dream on'' that an overrated team loses a game against a team they've already lost to this season.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Denver has two wins by double digits the entire season. One against the Bengals with Flacco and one against the Cowboys. The other 4 AFC teams that have clinched the playoffs have at least 5+ such wins. Denver doesn't have let down games, they are simply not even close to being a 12-3 quality team without having ridiculous luck all year long. Their average margin of victory in their other 10 games they've won is 4 points. And yes, in a game where the Jaguars were just running the clock in the 4th quarter and still won by two TD's, that's a blow-out. They could have easily scored 40+ on them if needed.

Your last sentence makes me think you're posting on the wrong forum. You can continue to cheer for the Broncos, i'll keep on supporting my team and ''dream on'' that an overrated team loses a game against a team they've already lost to this season.

The Chef's are out so he has to root for someone.

 

[Triumph]

Denver has two wins by double digits the entire season. One against the Bengals with Flacco and one against the Cowboys. The other 4 AFC teams that have clinched the playoffs have at least 5+ such wins. Denver doesn't have let down games, they are simply not even close to being a 12-3 quality team without having ridiculous luck all year long. Their average margin of victory in their other 10 games they've won is 4 points. And yes, in a game where the Jaguars were just running the clock in the 4th quarter and still won by two TD's, that's a blow-out. They could have easily scored 40+ on them if needed.

Could have, would have, should have.

The 2001 Pats won all 3 post season games by a total of 13 points. Nobody gives a crap about how much the win was by.

Your last sentence makes me think you're posting on the wrong forum. You can continue to cheer for the Broncos, i'll keep on supporting my team and ''dream on'' that an overrated team loses a game against a team they've already lost to this season.

I call it like it is.

Before your Chargers take out the overrated Broncos they face Houston.

 

[Triumph]

The Chef's are out so he has to root for someone.

Dingleberry

Ive been here 21 years.

 

[Kargetina]

Could have, would have, should have.

The 2001 Pats won all 3 post season games by a total of 13 points. Nobody gives a crap about how much the win was by.


I call it like it is.

Before your Chargers take out the overrated Broncos they face Houston.

Yes, because beating the 14-2 Rams, the 13-3 Steelers and the 10-6 Raiders in a snow storm is the same thing as beating the worst teams in the league by the skin of your teeth. It's impressive how you've managed to outdo yourself with one worse argument after another.

You've lost any semblance of reason when you wrote ''my Chargers'', you're a charlatan pretending to be some objective observer. You can call it as you like it, you're still a charlatan. I hope you lose your sleep when the Pats get the #1 seed.

 

[jdlboot14]

The 1st seed is hardly possible - it'd take some shocking help for that to happen.
But, if we can win and get healthy in these last 2 games we should be a solid #2 seed.
If DEN, JAX, TEX win their final games too, then we'll host Chargers in round 1 - which is my hope for the best chance at a playoff win - which would be our first in 7 years.
Then, it gets dicey - to host either Bills, Steelers, Jaguars

 

[Haterproof]

Could have, would have, should have.

The 2001 Pats won all 3 post season games by a total of 13 points. Nobody gives a crap about how much the win was by.


I call it like it is.

Before your Chargers take out the overrated Broncos they face Houston.

The same Houston team that just barely got past Raiders? I know it's any given Sunday but the Chargers can definitely win that game!

 

[TheRainMaker]

Step one is that the Pats need to take care of their own business and beat the Jets. Chargers have to take care of Houston to have motivation for the division the following week in Denver (assuming Denver wins).

 

[Huckleberry1]

The 1st seed is hardly possible - it'd take some shocking help for that to happen.
But, if we can win and get healthy in these last 2 games we should be a solid #2 seed.
If DEN, JAX, TEX win their final games too, then we'll host Chargers in round 1 - which is my hope for the best chance at a playoff win - which would be our first in 7 years.
Then, it gets dicey - to host either Bills, Steelers, Jaguars

I think the 1st seed is very possible. The Patriots will win their las 2 games, and the Bronco's have a tough match up with the Chargers.

 

[mgteich]

The 1st seed is hardly possible - it'd take some shocking help for that to happen.
But, if we can win and get healthy in these last 2 games we should be a solid #2 seed.
If DEN, JAX, TEX win their final games too, then we'll host Chargers in round 1 - which is my hope for the best chance at a playoff win - which would be our first in 7 years.
Then, it gets dicey - to host either Bills, Steelers, Jaguars

Hardly possible? Shocking help?
DEN is favored, but we have a 31% chance of being the #1 seed.

???
DEN needs to lose to either KC or the LAC
and we need to beat the NYJ and MIA

Nothing else needs to happen.

Go Bolts!

 

[Patsgofor4]

The 1st seed is hardly possible - it'd take some shocking help for that to happen.
But, if we can win and get healthy in these last 2 games we should be a solid #2 seed.
If DEN, JAX, TEX win their final games too, then we'll host Chargers in round 1 - which is my hope for the best chance at a playoff win - which would be our first in 7 years.
Then, it gets dicey - to host either Bills, Steelers, Jaguars

“Shocking help”. What? Are you confusing shocking with a different adjective? It is more likely than not that the Chargers will lose to either the Texans (and then rest their starters in week 18) OR lose to the Broncos in week 18 but it certainly wouldn’t be shocking for them to win out, in which case the Pats will get the 1 seed (assuming that they don’t implode against the Jets or the Phins playing their mediocre rookie QBs).

Why would you characterize hosting the Bills, Steelers or Jags as “dicey”. Waiting for your balls to drop, it seems. If Spillane, Tonga, Jones and Williams are at full (or nearly full) capacity, I’ll take the Pats against all three of those teams.

 

[Triumph]

Yes, because beating the 14-2 Rams, the 13-3 Steelers and the 10-6 Raiders in a snow storm is the same thing as beating the worst teams in the league by the skin of your teeth. It's impressive how you've managed to outdo yourself with one worse argument after another.

You've lost any semblance of reason when you wrote ''my Chargers'', you're a charlatan pretending to be some objective observer. You can call it as you like it, you're still a charlatan. I hope you lose your sleep when the Pats get the #1 seed.

Serious question.

Are you the Commissioner of a Fantasy Football league someplace?

Ive never seen anybody make a clown shoes argument like this over point differentials in wins. The 2025 Pats have had some squeakers vs bad teams. Aren't these skin of the teeth wins according to fans like you?

6 point W vs the now 5 - 10 Saints
1 point win vs the now 6 - 9 Falcons
6 point win vs the now 5 - 10 Bengals
5 point win vs the now 7 - 8 Bucs

You would be poster of the year over at 2 Bills Drive. They love this type of nonsense.

 

[KCSVEN]

Serious question.

Are you the Commissioner of a Fantasy Football league someplace?

Ive never seen anybody make a clown shoes argument like this over point differentials in wins. The 2025 Pats have had some squeakers vs bad teams. Aren't these skin of the teeth wins according to fans like you?

6 point W vs the now 5 - 10 Saints
1 point win vs the now 6 - 9 Falcons
6 point win vs the now 5 - 10 Bengals
5 point win vs the now 7 - 8 Bucs

You would be poster of the year over at 2 Bills Drive. They love this type of nonsense.

NFL point differential (PD) has significant predictive value, often better than just win-loss records, showing a team's true strength by indicating if they're winning due to dominance or luck in close games; teams with strong PDs tend to perform better in the future, while large discrepancies suggest regression is coming (e.g., getting blown out in losses means you might be due for closer wins). While not perfectly predictable (around 35% year-to-year), it's a key component in models like Pythagorean expectation for forecasting future success.
# of Close wins and point differential have been shown to be predicative of teams being a but lucky and then having a setback the following year.

Broncos are the exact type of team to take a step back next year, similar to the Chiefs last year that won all these close games.

11 of the 13 Broncos wins were 1 score. Denver's schedule is as weak as the Patriots.
Pats only have 7 wins within 1 score.

Broncos were +67 point differential thru 15 games, Pats are +110.

Patriots will face a tougher schedule next year; they likely have a worse record because of it but they likely make the playoffs because elite QB's make the playoffs most years and they are showing the ability to beat teams weaker than them at a good point differential. Pats are likely underrated because of schedule and Broncos overrated because of schedule.

Broncos: Weak Schedule, lots of 1 score wins, below average QB. Good chance they miss the playoffs next year.

 

[4thQComeback]

“Below average QB”
Bo Nix has the second most wins 23 for a QB in only their 2nd season. Level with Andrew Luck and only 1 behind Russell Wilson.