I don't get people who say it is too early to talk about standings and seedings.
In sports like basketball, baseball or hockey you really start to take a long look at seedings when you have maybe 20 games left and start to look at what tie breakers you need and how many games you need to catch up.
The NFL due to pure lack of games means looking this early is more than acceptable. By week 11 or 12 you may already be in a spot where the bye is a pipe dream.
To me it is clear what the Pats have to do. Go 7-2 the rest of the way and beat Pitt. Do that and they are the first seed. Just 7-2 by itself may be enough. I don't think Pitt can go 12-4 with how bad Ben is playing. I think that D isn't near as good as it has looked. Also I think KC's O will fall off. Smith isn't this kind of player.
Well, we can talk about it, but how many frontrunners have we seen tank and go 2-6 at the end, then miss the playoffs? How many spots are usually in play in game 15 and 16?
I mean yeah, we can talk about it. We don't even have a berth yet, let alone a bye. If THIS Patriots team reaches the level of what we're used to, it's going to be a gut-it-out year, not a romp.
Everybody likes the 1 seed. Here's the good news: We might not go into Arrowhead even if we don't get it. Here's the bad news: Wherever we do go would be scarier. Here's the worse news: 8 more games. We might not go anywhere. This isn't 2001-2004 when Brady never lost a playoff game. This isn't 2007 when only 1 game went wrong (in 2008, actually.) This isn't an odds-on world-beating team. This is a team that's beaten more teams than it's lost to, currently 3rd seed.
Nail-biting the rest of the way, boys and girls. Maybe having to win on the road. This ain't gonna be a "team of destiny," this is going to be a team that earns it.
Everybody settle in, stock up on your nitroglycerines, and get ready for some football!
(PS, I am always wrong...posting this is part of my fan strategy.)
