Patriots now #1 in nfl in pts allowed

[RobertWeathers]

Air Flacco vs. Air Goff ......too funny

I expect McCourty will be 45 yards deep therefore it will 11 on 10 where the game is actually played

Like someone mentioned....I fear NE's O will be the issue tonight...staying on the field / burning clock

My guess is DMC, Chung andVan Noy are going to be all over Dennis Pitta. That's Flaccos binky

 

[sb1]

Pats #1 in point differential too.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Not if you read some people here....we are the worst. Listen to their gut eye.

What many seem to be missing is that rule changes and poor officiating have made it almost impossible for any team to play great defense on a sustained basis. I definitely think the Patriots have some deficiencies on defense, with covering running backs coming out of the backfield the most glaring issue, and their philosophical approach doesn't help because they will give up certain aspects to take away those that they feel will hurt them worse, essentially a bend but don't break approach. Ultimately however points against and wins are what really matter and they are at the head of the class in both areas, so Patriot fans should be fairly satisfied but years of success have jaded us to the point where only a Lombardi can bring any satisfaction. I'm actually happy that they are now facing a stretch that will determine how good they are and how good this season will be. Three of the last four games are critical and even the jets will be tough because they are a division opponent and can play good defense. After that they get the playoffs and although there is no great team out there pretty much every game should be tough. So a season that looked to be relatively easy early on is now going to be filled with really meaningful games the rest of the way, and that brings more enjoyment than any cakewalk ever does.

 

[Huckleberry1]

My guess is DMC, Chung andVan Noy are going to be all over Dennis Pitta. That's Flaccos binky

Steve Smith is the key in the passing game, if Bultler can keep him in check it will be a long night for Jump Ball Joe.

 

[Kontradiction]

Steve Smith is the key in the passing game, if Bultler can keep him in check it will be a long night for Jump Ball Joe.

Actually, Perriman makes their passing game tick as he's the only one who can consistently get deep which means teams have to shade a safety to his side of the field. I expect Butler to be on Smith one on one when they're in man, Perriman to draw Rowe/Ryan with safety help up top, and Chung playing close to the LOS on Pitta.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Actually, Perriman makes their passing game tick as he's the only one who can consistently get deep which means teams have to shade a safety to his side of the field. I expect Butler to be on Smith one on one when they're in man, Perriman to draw Rowe/Ryan with safety help up top, and Chung playing close to the LOS on Pitta.

I agree that Perriman is a concern in terms of Jump Ball Joe's approach to the game but Smith has always been a clutch performer and a pain in the Patriots ass, neutralizing his clutch plays will be big for the Patriots. This is a tough game for the Patriots but I expect them to be ready and come away with the win.

Hope the shoulder is doing well Kontra.

 

[BobDigital]

What really helps the defense out is the offense. I can't remember a defense ever having it so easily when it comes to the O never putting it in a bad spot.

The Pats loan interception this year was a bad pass that put the opponent deep in their own end amounting to basically a punt out the back of the end zone. The Pats have had 8 turnovers on the year which is the least and maybe only 1 or 2 were really bad as far as putting your D in a whole.

Vikings have 10, Dallas 12, KC 14, Seattle 16, Baltimore 17, Denver 18, Giants 24,

Those are the top 8 Ds in the NFL in PPG and clearly some have been put in a much worse spot then ours. The Giants particularly look good considering their D had to deal with 16 more turnovers but only gave up 1.5PPG more. If they have a game where they don't turn it over they are going to be very hard to score on.

Also worth noting the Giants of course lost JPP for the year which will hurt their D.

 

[Sciz]

So a 40-17 win would make the Pats #2 in points scored and #1 in points allowed. It would be a hell of a surprise, but I guess they did beat the Ravens 41-7 a few years ago.

Getting to #1 for both offense and defense is a little more difficult, as it would take a 110-17 victory.

 

[Kontradiction]

I agree that Perriman is a concern in terms of Jump Ball Joe's approach to the game but Smith has always been a clutch performer and a pain in the Patriots ass, neutralizing his clutch plays will be big for the Patriots. This is a tough game for the Patriots but I expect them to be ready and come away with the win.

Hope the shoulder is doing well Kontra.

Thanks. I've finally gotten to the point where I can sleep flat on my back again. It's achy as hell right now, though.

 

[pazrul72]

Like every argument it's not one side is completely right and the other is wrong. For those who point to the PPG stat and scream elite best in the league who they have played and when certainly does add to how much they have given up. For those screaming we can't stop a HS offense and will give up 30+ in the playoffs to everyone we face I have to ask have you seen some of the truly horrible defenses in the league? Like it or not the style of D the pats play does not lead to the flashy stats for EITHER team. This is a top 10 defense even by "the eye test" it's just not flashy doing it. Honestly you add 5-10 turnovers and you are talking one of the all time d's.

The thing is this is never played in a vacuum where it is just the offense or just the defense of just special teams. In such a vacuum there are probably (i don't watch enough football to answer who anymore) 7-10 defenses I would take before ours but as a TEAM the patriots are one of the very very best at keeping the other team off the scoreboard and at the end of the day THAT is the only stat that matters. This is one of the better defenses in the league, at least above average and that is plenty good enough to win a super bowl. Think of it this way top 10 offense top 10 ST and top 10 defense...no other team in the league is as well rounded and deep. The can we won with this D threads belong on an Oakland message board not here. There they truly do have to put up 30 a game to win. Here? Brady just needs to hold the ball and not put them in bad situations while only putting up 20-24. Faaaaar more manageable

 

[Huckleberry1]

Thanks. I've finally gotten to the point where I can sleep flat on my back again. It's achy as hell right now, though.

That's good news, it took me five weeks. That's a good hurdle to clear.

 

[Kontradiction]

That's good news, it took me five weeks. That's a good hurdle to clear.

Did you get a total shoulder or just a rotator cuff/labrum repair? My physical therapist has told me that he's holding me back so I guess I'm ahead of schedule. After this, I'll have to deal with a disk herniation in L4/L5 from the same accident.

 

[mosslost]

Like every argument it's not one side is completely right and the other is wrong. For those who point to the PPG stat and scream elite best in the league who they have played and when certainly does add to how much they have given up. For those screaming we can't stop a HS offense and will give up 30+ in the playoffs to everyone we face I have to ask have you seen some of the truly horrible defenses in the league? Like it or not the style of D the pats play does not lead to the flashy stats for EITHER team. This is a top 10 defense even by "the eye test" it's just not flashy doing it. Honestly you add 5-10 turnovers and you are talking one of the all time d's.

The thing is this is never played in a vacuum where it is just the offense or just the defense of just special teams. In such a vacuum there are probably (i don't watch enough football to answer who anymore) 7-10 defenses I would take before ours but as a TEAM the patriots are one of the very very best at keeping the other team off the scoreboard and at the end of the day THAT is the only stat that matters. This is one of the better defenses in the league, at least above average and that is plenty good enough to win a super bowl. Think of it this way top 10 offense top 10 ST and top 10 defense...no other team in the league is as well rounded and deep. The can we won with this D threads belong on an Oakland message board not here. There they truly do have to put up 30 a game to win. Here? Brady just needs to hold the ball and not put them in bad situations while only putting up 20-24. Faaaaar more manageable

Totally agree. All phases of the game contribute to how hard it is for the opposition to score points. This whole issue came up because people ragged on the D so bad, especially in the game threads, and some noticed how well they were doing with #1.) Win/Loss and 2.) opponent PPG. So this whole thing became a thing.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Did you get a total shoulder or just a rotator cuff/labrum repair? My physical therapist has told me that he's holding me back so I guess I'm ahead of schedule. After this, I'll have to deal with a disk herniation in L4/L5 from the same accident.

I severed my rotator cuff in the front of the shoulder and a partial tear on top as well as tearing the bicep off the bone in the shoulder, so they repaired the rotator cuff in both places and cleaned the bicep off the bone in the shoulder instead of grafting it back, similar to what they did with Amendola's gr gr gr groin injury as there is a redundancy in the connections and grafting it back often causes more issues than disconnecting it altogether, however you do end up with a Popeyes bicep which is goofy looking but I don't care because I'm not going to be doing any bodybuilding contests any time soon. I would obviously win bigly but don't need to flaunt my god given gifts. Once again my humility and modesty trumped my vanity.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

Defenses win Championships

 

[RobertWeathers]

I severed my rotator cuff in the front of the shoulder and a partial tear on top as well as tearing the bicep off the bone in the shoulder, so they repaired the rotator cuff in both places and cleaned the bicep off the bone in the shoulder instead of grafting it back, similar to what they did with Amendola's gr gr gr groin injury as there is a redundancy in the connections and grafting it back often causes more issues than disconnecting it altogether, however you do end up with a Popeyes bicep which is goofy looking but I don't care because I'm not going to be doing any bodybuilding contests any time soon. I would obviously win bigly but don't need to flaunt my god given gifts. Once again my humility and modesty trumped my vanity.

Get well soon.

Between you, @KontradictioN and my rotator cuff & labrum tear this place is falling apart.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

So a 40-17 win would make the Pats #2 in points scored and #1 in points allowed. It would be a hell of a surprise, but I guess they did beat the Ravens 41-7 a few years ago.

Getting to #1 for both offense and defense is a little more difficult, as it would take a 110-17 victory.

Oh ye of little faith!!

 

[Nikolai]

Get well soon.

Between you, @KontradictioN and my rotator cuff & labrum tear this place is falling apart.

Yep, in the same situation with the rotator cuff and labrum tear on top of disc herniation in the neck and a possible disc herniation in my lower back. Unfortunately, the Army misdiagnosed all this several months ago and I've made it worse in the meantime...ehhhh.

 

[Ring 6]

What many seem to be missing is that rule changes and poor officiating have made it almost impossible for any team to play great defense on a sustained basis. I definitely think the Patriots have some deficiencies on defense, with covering running backs coming out of the backfield the most glaring issue, and their philosophical approach doesn't help because they will give up certain aspects to take away those that they feel will hurt them worse, essentially a bend but don't break approach. Ultimately however points against and wins are what really matter and they are at the head of the class in both areas, so Patriot fans should be fairly satisfied but years of success have jaded us to the point where only a Lombardi can bring any satisfaction. I'm actually happy that they are now facing a stretch that will determine how good they are and how good this season will be. Three of the last four games are critical and even the jets will be tough because they are a division opponent and can play good defense. After that they get the playoffs and although there is no great team out there pretty much every game should be tough. So a season that looked to be relatively easy early on is now going to be filled with really meaningful games the rest of the way, and that brings more enjoyment than any cakewalk ever does.

Great post and this is behind a lot of my comments on the defense. People sit here and see something happen (such as a QB having a not horrific day and putting up 16 points) and say my god the defense must suck a good defense wouldn't do that and don't realize that yes almost every other defense does worse than that.
The best defenses (and again we can only talk about that they actually do not opinion) of 2016 wee average defenses in 2003 or almost any era before because the rules are stacked against defense.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Yep, in the same situation with the rotator cuff and labrum tear on top of disc herniation in the neck and a possible disc herniation in my lower back. Unfortunately, the Army misdiagnosed all this several months ago and I've made it worse in the meantime...ehhhh.

Hope you can get these repaired soon, the road to recovery is long but well worth it as you can't do sh.t until they are fixed and rehabbed fully. While I hate bringing politics into this it's why I support universal healthcare as everyone deserves good health and we are far more productive as a society when people are healthy, paying for long term disability is far more expensive than treating people and getting them as close to full health and productivity .