So You're Saying There's a Chance: The 2020 Patriots Playoff Push

Nikolai said:

I'd say it's 50/50 from this point that we'll get in, but otherwise I'm completely in agreement. Just getting to the playoffs means we're playing with house money and whoever will face will have the pressure that comes with not losing to a young, tough team that somehow wins with less than a hundred yards passing. I'd very much enjoy knocking Pittsburgh out. After that, anything we do is total gravy.

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How many wins do we need for you to consider this season a success? Or do you think its already a success considering everything?

StockingAnarchyNumber12 said:

How many wins do we need for you to consider this season a success? Or do you think its already a success considering everything?

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Weirdly enough, I'm not sure I'd measure success with wins. Developing the younger players and finding the future core of the Pats would make this season a success, and I think we've seen a handful of candidates emerge; Dugger, Winovich, Harris, Onwenu and maybe Uche and Olszewski. We could even have a serviceable receiver in Meyers, but we won't know for sure until we've got a professional grade passing game.

If we have a core of players going forward but don't make the playoffs, I'd be more or less satisfied. I didn't have delusions of Super Bowl grandeur going into this year.

If we're going by wins, I'm happy with a winning record personally. I THINK I had this team at 10-6 before the season started, so that was my expectation at the time, and it's still possible. 10-6 and a playoff berth would be a wild success. Getting to the divisional round would be "**** you" levels of success.

Step 1: Get swapped to the NFC East...

StockingAnarchyNumber12 said:

I don't think we're getting in.

I won't stop believing and I love how they're playing down the stretch though. Have won 4 of their last 5. If we do get in, I kinda want to play the spoiler role and knock a team or two out of the playoffs. Someone like Pittsburgh!

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Would love to knock out KC.

amfootball said:

Would love to knock out KC.

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I'd rather knock out Pittsburgh than Kansas City. I'm not really against KC winning a second ring. I think its inevitable anyway that Mahomes wins another one eventually so why not now? If Steelers lose to us in postseason, that'd just be so Tomlin and so Steelers. Its impressive that Pittsburgh has six rings so they need to get a little credit, but its time for that franchise to grow a pair and prove they can beat a team like Kansas City and advance to the superbowl. Patriots and Kansas City were both able to man up and win the tough games. Its time for Tomlin to do the same. If they don't make the superbowl this year, that will be Tomlin's legacy.

StockingAnarchyNumber12 said:

I'd rather knock out Pittsburgh than Kansas City. I'm not really against KC winning a second ring. I think its inevitable anyway that Mahomes wins another one eventually so why not now?

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If he wins this year, it’s in addition to whatever else he wins in the future, not in place of it. It’s more likely that he wins 4 rings in his career if he wins his second this year.

Nikolai said:

I'd say it's 50/50 from this point that we'll get in, but otherwise I'm completely in agreement. Just getting to the playoffs means we're playing with house money and whoever will face will have the pressure that comes with not losing to a young, tough team that somehow wins with less than a hundred yards passing. I'd very much enjoy knocking Pittsburgh out. After that, anything we do is total gravy.

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The trifecta for me would be knocking the Indiots and Ratbirds out of the playoffs and then beating Pissburgh. If the Pats do make it to the playoffs you can bet that no team will want to play them.

sb1 said:

Lost only one game that season by more than one score. Same is true with this season to date.

Testament to Bill and our coaching staff. Take out Bill and put an ordinary coach in here and we wouldn't be competitive at all. Fact.

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you have a ton of youth........it is best to habitualize going into every game 100%

gitgronked82 said:

If he wins this year, it’s in addition to whatever else he wins in the future, not in place of it. It’s more likely that he wins 4 rings in his career if he wins his second this year.

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KC is set up poorly to contend starting in 2022 because of Mahomes monstrous contract that will fully kick in then. They have also kicked the can down the road on many high end contracts that will leave them in cap hell for some time. And this isn't even accounting for Covid and how it is wrecking the cap increases for the next few seasons. KC and the Saints might be the 2 contending teams in the worst cap situation going forward but at least the Saints get out from under Brees contract after next season.

sb1 said:

If the Pats finish 10-6 then they have a wide path in. They'll have tiebreakers over Miami, Raiders, Ravens. They'll be 8-4 in the AFC which is good enough. The Browns have 3 AFC losses but they'll play the Steelers and the rest of the AFC North so it's likely they'll have at least one more, and they will lose to us on the common opponents tiebreaker if the teams are tied.

Can't see it happening though. I think the Rams are a formidable opponent.

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Yeah , its very hard to see not getting in at 10-6 , would probably require worse luck than 2008, that ravens wild card team was actually really good. In fact If we win tonight, miami loses to kc, lv loses to indy, balt loses to cle , I believe we control our destiny going into next week. That scenario is not very far fetched imo

amfootball said:

Yes. That is it exactly. This team has outperformed what I thought it would. It is 6-6 because of the play of the QB. How Bill could go into a season with this collection of QBs is frustrating beyond belief.

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I am curious, what exactly do you believe Belichick should have done, taking into consideration the realities of the salary cap?

Keep in mind that TB12 signed for $50 million, fully guaranteed.

jmt57 said:

I am curious, what exactly do you believe Belichick should have done, taking into consideration the realities of the salary cap?

Keep in mind that TB12 signed for $50 million, fully guaranteed.

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Well, if he was hell bent on turning the offense into, basically, what the Ravens are, he could have drafted Jackson instead of Michel in 2018. He clearly saw the need for a QB (since we burned a 7th on Etling) and, being a economics major, had to see the writing on the wall with the cap. I’m not really high on Jackson but, with this OL, he’d be better than Cam right now.

jmt57 said:

I am curious, what exactly do you believe Belichick should have done, taking into consideration the realities of the salary cap?

Keep in mind that TB12 signed for $50 million, fully guaranteed.

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How about do something at the QB position for the last 3 years? Jimmy was traded in 2017 and all we have done is draft Danny Etling in the 7th round and Stidham in the 4th round. Bill is the one that said in 2014 when he drafted Jimmy that it is better to be EARLY at the QB position than late. In 2014 Brady was 37. We traded Jimmy when Brady was 40 and still got 3 more seasons out of Brady but no QB transition at all from Bill. Why folks just focus on this season I have no idea as it all of a sudden we might need a QB with Brady playing into his 40s. Bill has had multiple seasons to improve our QB room and has done nothing but pick up Hoyer and Newton off the scrap heap.

Also, IF Bill wanted to extend Brady back in 2017/2018 when Brady was asking, it would not have cost $50 mil guaranteed over 2 years. Brady would have taken less just like he had been doing since 2013 for the security of knowing he had a multi-year contract taking him through age 45.

PATSYLICIOUS said:

Yeah , its very hard to see not getting in at 10-6 , would probably require worse luck than 2008, that ravens wild card team was actually really good. In fact If we win tonight, miami loses to kc, lv loses to indy, balt loses to cle , I believe we control our destiny going into next week. That scenario is not very far fetched imo

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If we do get in (and I still think sweeping these next 3 is a very tall order) I don't think any team will want to play us in January.

Pats need to get to 9 wins sans Brady this year. 9 wins gives bill the coach a 20-12 record in 2 seasons without Sad Tom. That's a great record no matter what, playoffs or not.

But I still harken back to that Denver clusterfukc that'll be the reason they miss the playoffs this year

FCB02062 said:

Pats need to get to 9 wins sans Brady this year. 9 wins gives bill the coach a 20-12 record in 2 seasons without Sad Tom. That's a great record no matter what, playoffs or not.

But I still harken back to that Denver clusterfukc that'll be the reason they miss the playoffs this year

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Guess you are not factoring in 2000 (5-11) or the first 2 games of 2001 (0-2) or his 5 seasons in Cleveland without sad Tom?

KontradictioN said:

Well, if he was hell bent on turning the offense into, basically, what the Ravens are, he could have drafted Jackson instead of Michel in 2018. He clearly saw the need for a QB (since we burned a 7th on Etling) and, being a economics major, had to see the writing on the wall with the cap. I’m not really high on Jackson but, with this OL, he’d be better than Cam right now.

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Yeah for sure but Jackson wouldn't have played a snap until this year imo. Hard to say what that would mean for him. Jackson was at his best when he had those tight ends to throw to with the Ravens and our tight ends... well you know. I don't think the Pats intended to use Etling as a QB, they tried to convert him I think to WR and it didn't work.

And if they wouldn't have taken Michel what happens at RB? Michel really helped us win a title his rook year. Who knows if his replacement would have done the same thing.

amfootball said:

Guess you are not factoring in 2000 (5-11) or the first 2 games of 2001 (0-2) or his 5 seasons in Cleveland without sad Tom?

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Like Brady being a much better QB today than when he started - Bill is a much better coach now than he was then.

His W-L in his final season in Cleveland when the plug was pulled on the franchise couldn't be any more meaningless to me.

sb1 said:

Like Brady being a much better QB today than when he started - Bill is a much better coach now than he was then.

His W-L in his final season in Cleveland when the plug was pulled on the franchise couldn't be any more meaningless to me.

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Bill was a much, much better coach (W/L) with the GOAT QB. Funny how that works.

amfootball said:

Bill was a much, much better coach (W/L) with the GOAT QB. Funny how that works.

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That is true. I think it's fair to say the same about Tom when referring to Tom/Arians vs Tom/Bill.

Bill is still a great coach, arguably GOAT. Certainly would have had to rethink that if the team collapsed in 2020 like many thought.