"It's tough to beat a team three times in one season."

[brdmaverick]

4-4 is a small sample size, if you're going to pretend that is statistically significant.

The poster can correct me if I'm wrong, but the 4-4 stat only applies to a top seed facing the lower seed a third time.

It is not specifically in reference to a third matchup in which one team won the first two games. Of those 8 games, it's possible that the series was split in at least 5 of those situations. Obviously I'm just guessing at that but the point stands that I think we are talkign about two different things.

 

[brdmaverick]

Remember, the saying is, it's tough to beat a team three times. That assumes all three times are in the future and that's just simple statistics.

I couldn't agree more, and that's the part that is so misused by not only fans but professional analysts on TV. Most often when people bring up the 'it's tough to beat a team three times' it's when two games have already been played.

 

[brdmaverick]

IIRC the Pats beat Miami in week 17 that year and then again the following week in the wild card round.

Also Dan Marino career vs Pats in playoffs: 0-2, 42.8 passer rating

Yes, and I believe Troy Brown had a big TD catch in that game that probably would not be considered a TD in today's NFL (it was similar to Odell's TD against the Pats last year that was eventually overturned).