Let's just play who we get. I forget the year, but the Pats once intentionally lost to affect the seeding and then we were beaten by the team they were trying to get (or got beat the next week - can't remember exactly what happened, but it left a bad taste - like we knew we weren;'t good enough and tried to sneak by, which to me is not the Patriot Way). Karma baby - be careful what you wish for. If we bring our A game on O and D, we should beat any of the remaining AFC teams. Both the Ravens and Jags could be a nightmare, or they could be a walkover. The Ravens seem to be our kryptonite in the playoffs but when I watched them earlier this year, they were awful. I can't believe they are going to make the playoffs at all, but Jump Ball Joe Flacco is probably still good for a couple of really costly PI calls per game. The Jags scare you on paper because they supposedly have a really good D (not to mention Tom Coughlin sharing his insight on how to beat Brady), but they just got lit up by some TB12-wannabee-QB who only has 5 or 6 NFL starts under his belt. On the other hand, they also managed to score 33 points and lose, which is a worry against our D.
The Pats should be focused on getting themselves in tip-top, take-no-prisoners shape (I don't think we can afford a first half like we had this past week in the playoffs, previous SB miracle be damned), and let the chips fall where they may. We already know we have a bye next week (playoffs already? can't believe it!), so right the ship this week, cruise next week, then be ready to sail into battle firing all cylinders the following weekend, no matter who comes to town. Go Patriots!
