Are we playing with house money?

[Ring 6]

Two things can be true:

1) Yes, it's house money. This roster is still in a rebuild.

2) You can't just throw away final 4 appearances. It's hard to get here. Once they won 14 games in the regular season, that changed the calculus. This is the best defense in the NFL as we speak, and a QB who is at worst two-2 in the NFL in MVP voting. Considering the opponent (Backup QB or not), it would be very disappointing to at least not make the Super Bowl at this point.

There is absolutely no certainty that the team improves going forward.
Every team is trying to get better, and competing to do so. Half do, half digress. Just because we were bad last year doesn’t mean there is a trajectory. Every year is its own.

 

[reflexblue]

Indubitably

 

[dannydyn]

It was playing with house money when the team turned it to above .500

Since then, we have made the playoffs and are now 2 wins away from hoisting the Lombardi. You never know what might happen next year (injuries, bad draft, etc.). The fanbase needs to think and operate like the players do. For them it's all or nothing. I'm sure the locker room doesn't operate under the 'playing with house money' assumption, and neither should we the fans.

As far as the AFCCG goes, the venue (Mile High) scares me more than that team. Put another way, had this game were to take place at Gillette we would absolutely *** belt that donkey circus. But this game is winnable in Denver as well. Just need to pull ahead and put this game away as early as possible to shut that donkey crowd and make it more manageable from a noise level standpoint. It's absolutely imperative our defense gets to Stidham as often as possible so they can get off the field on 3rd downs. If they don't they'll be gassed out by the beginning of 3rd quarter. If they can open up a lead and shut that crowd down a bit, it will be easier for our offense to communicate at the line of scrimmage and minimize or even avoid false starts altogether.

 

[scott99]

I hate that term, house money. But I will say I’m completely satisfied by this season, no matter what happens going forward. I always say, I rather lose the AFCCG than the Super Bowl, nothing no more painful than a SB loss. So if we are gonna lose…well you get the picture.

 

[mgteich]

.
Our schedule is infinitely harder next year. Players come and go, injuries happen.

To be clear, you don't think that we will be FAVORED to win the division next year?

Is our schedule that much tougher than Buffalo's?

BUF plays
BAL
HOU
LAR
NE
NE

NE plays
PIT
JAX
SEA
BUF
BUF

 

[farn]

We ‘are’ but the second that QB went down, and the challenge was beating Stiddy….

And if NE is fortunate enough to make it to the SB, everyone will want to win it badly. So. Now it’s shifted for me.

 

[TommyD4207]

We ‘are’ but the second that QB went down, and the challenge was beating Stiddy….

And if NE is fortunate enough to make it to the SB, everyone will want to win it badly. So. Now it’s shifted for me.

And it's shifted for Vrabel and the coaching staff as well.

They're talking a lot differently than they were earlier in the year. Thankfully there's enough experience on the coaching staff to understand what this all means - and still keep an eye toward the future.

 

[dannydyn]

To be clear, you don't think that we will be FAVORED to win the division next year.\?

Favored to win and actually winning are two different things. Not saying we’ll suck balls, but next year’s schedule looks like the complete opposite of what we had this year. Plus, unexpected injuries, new players not living up to expectations, etc. are all realistic things that can derail a season. Just ask the Chiefs, Bengals, and Ravens fanbases…

 

[Simpelton]

The only annoying thing about losing now is we’d have to hear DuR SkEdUuLLe talk all offseason. 2002 was annoying enough hearing that we were just one year wonders….

We're going to hear that regardless. Every team that we beat is going to retroactively have been a garbage team. The excuses are obvious. Stidham's a backup, Stafford is old, Darnold is Darnold.

 

[TommyD4207]

We're going to hear that regardless. Every team that we beat is going to retroactively have been a garbage team. The excuses are obvious. Stidham's a backup, Stafford is old, Darnold is Darnold.

This is how you know the Patriots are back, by the way.

 

[VrabelJr]

The drought between 04-05 and 14-15 should be a lesson to us all to never count your blessings. Seize every opportunity.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Deservedness is an invention of those who didn't get it done

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

To be clear, you don't think that we will be FAVORED to win the division next year?

Is our schedule that much tougher than Buffalo's?

BUF plays
BAL
HOU
LAR
NE
NE

NE plays
PIT
JAX
SEA
BUF
BUF

I wasn’t comparing to Buff.
Our schedule in much much harder next year as I said, nothing to do with Buff.

 

[TommyD4207]

I wasn’t comparing to Buff.
Our schedule in much much harder next year as I said, nothing to do with Buff.

I mean, we'll see how 'much harder' it was at the end of the 2026 season.

It never works out like everyone thinks, and moreover, I think 'soft schedule' is simply cope that losing teams tell themselves.

The AFCCG is between the #31 and #32 worst strength of schedules in the league. "Battle tested" "Tough Schedule" is all just sports radio buzzwords, and I'm convinced of that now more than ever.

Trust your eyes, they're either good or they're not.

 

[Water Boy]

It's not as important as to how you get there, but what you do when you're there. Have an easier schedule and injuries on other teams help put them in this position? Yes. But the remaining teams would be foolish to think that the Patriots can't go toe to toe with them.

 

[mgteich]

I wasn’t comparing to Buff.
Our schedule in much much harder next year as I said, nothing to do with Buff.

Having an opportunity to go deep into the playoffs next year has everything to do with BUF. If we are better than BUF and win the division, we have at least one home game and are the #3 or #4 seed depending on the record of BAL/PIT.

 

[sb1]

Ah yes we really are back in 2003. All we’re missing now is complaining about the tuck rule lol

 

[DoubleDeluxe]

Having an opportunity to go deep into the playoffs next year has everything to do with BUF. If we are better than BUF and win the division, we have at least one home game and are the #3 or #4 seed depending on the record of BAL/PIT.

I said our schedule is harder next year, it is.
Going 14-3 next year and having 2 home playoffs is unlikely.
Winning the division is great, not as great as having the 2 seed and 2 home playoff games.
You know how many of our 9 SB appearances with Brady came without being the #1 or #2 seed?
Zero.
Take advantage of today, tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

 

[Nikolai]

House money? Kinda was the case until the wild card win. Now, we can smell it, taste it, feel it...

No, my friends. It's #7 or bust now.

That said, if this team plays at this level next year, I don't give a federal **** how "hard" the schedule is, they're going to bang out 14+ wins next year too.

 

[TheRainMaker]

This is 2015 all over again which we can't take for granted. That was a brutal loss even with the injuries. Pats are a lot healthier this time and are playing against a QB who hasn't played in a meaningful game in his career. No arm Manning was still a veteran QB who did all his damage early. Pats have to put the heat on Stidham early and send a message. I'm hoping Vrabel elects to kick if they win the toss.

Losing to a former backup in Stidham this board **** on would be a major letdown. We don't want this to turn into a 2009 Ravens game where Flacco didn't have to throw many passes. But I'm fully prepared his going to do his best to play outside of what he's normally capable of (AJ Feeley in 2004 and 2007) and make the Pats sweat if they don't take him seriously.

I could accept a loss if Nix were playing, but not Stidham.