Pats AFC chances look optimistic

[BSR]

All of these teams are going to be tough games for this Patriot team, there are no lay-ups this season.

That assumes that the Patriots continue playing at this current level. If they do then they may as well lose out because making the playoffs would be meaningless. If they are going to have any chance to do anything in the playoffs they will need to improve, which I expect them to do.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Predictions are useless right now, we won't know anything until probably December. This patriots team is a mess, too inconsistent, and Brady is doing more harm than good. I'm just praying we can get through the bye with only 2 losses.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Which would equate to an 11-5 overall record.

Probably not good enough for a first round bye at the #2 spot, but still a home game in round one and then go from there.

If they can get into the bye week at 7-2, I think it increases the chances at going 12-4 tremendously. Of course that's a big "if" at the moment, but 7-2 at the bye and then 2 more losses (DEN + take your pick) would make it 12-4. I think 12-4 would place them in a decent spot for the #2 spot.

It's amazing how much difference that 1 game may make though. Not too many teams have gotten it at 11-5, aside from the 2001 team of course.

Comeon, supa. The Denver automatic loss thing at home is absurd. They are giving up 28.1ppg and 397ypg.

The only bad defense we played (Atlanta: 26.2 ppg and 366.3ypg) we played pretty good on offense.

 

[Huckleberry1]

That assumes that the Patriots continue playing at this current level. If they do then they may as well lose out because making the playoffs would be meaningless. If they are going to have any chance to do anything in the playoffs they will need to improve, which I expect them to do.

I don't see it that way. This is not a dominant team and is not going to be a dominant team this season, however that doesn't preclude them from having a strong play-offs and winning the Super Bowl. Right now i don't think they are good enough to win a Super Bowl but if they get healthier and other teams have some key losses, and if they improve as a team over the second half of the season then i think it is possible for them to make a run in the play-offs. Last year's Ravens team did not look like a team that could win a Super Bowl but they got healthy and caught the breaks and pulled one out.

 

[Rob0729]

Which would equate to an 11-5 overall record.

Probably not good enough for a first round bye at the #2 spot, but still a home game in round one and then go from there.

If they can get into the bye week at 7-2, I think it increases the chances at going 12-4 tremendously. Of course that's a big "if" at the moment, but 7-2 at the bye and then 2 more losses (DEN + take your pick) would make it 12-4. I think 12-4 would place them in a decent spot for the #2 spot.

It's amazing how much difference that 1 game may make though. Not too many teams have gotten it at 11-5, aside from the 2001 team of course.

I'm not convinced the Pats lose to the Broncos. The Pats can beat them the way the Colts did on defense if the Pats are at full strength by the time they face the Broncos. I also think the Pats' offense will be better with Gronk another 5 weeks healed and Vereen back and will be able to exploit the Broncos' horrible defense. It is the most likely game the Pats lose (considering they are the only strong Super Bowl contender on their schedule left), but as someone said, it ain't a slam dunk.

In fact, I think the Broncos could have another loss or two by the time they come into Foxboro. They have a tough stretch after their bye in a week (@ San Diego, KC, @ NE, @KC, the Titans, and San Diego). Only one team with a losing record (Titans) and they might have a winning record by the time they face the Broncos with Locker coming back and a softer schedule after a brutal three game stretch (KC, @Seattle, San Fran).

 

[Sivy]

I picked 1st seed because I'm a positive dude and don't feel the need to prove my objectivity like some fans who think they are a part of the coaching staff.

They should be 6-1 right now. I don't care how much you want to pretend like your BB. Was that STUPID penalty the reason they lost? No, but it was 100% for sure, the reason they were robbed of being able to have a chance to win.

 

[Rob0729]

I'm pretty sure the panthers have a good DL.

Their d-line is good, but they don't get after the QB. Their sack total is average. The Panthers' defense allows opposing QBs to complete passes at a high rate (they are 31st in the league in the opposing QB completion percentage). What they do is not give up a ton of yards or TDs (tied for first in fewest passing TDs).

 

[Sivy]

I'm not convinced the Pats lose to the Broncos. The Pats can beat them the way the Colts did on defense if the Pats are at full strength by the time they face the Broncos. I also think the Pats' offense will be better with Gronk another 5 weeks healed and Vereen back and will be able to exploit the Broncos' horrible defense. It is the most likely game the Pats lose (considering they are the only strong Super Bowl contender on their schedule left), but as someone said, it ain't a slam dunk.

In fact, I think the Broncos could have another loss or two by the time they come into Foxboro. They have a tough stretch after their bye in a week (@ San Diego, KC, @ NE, @KC, the Titans, and San Diego). Only one team with a losing record (Titans) and they might have a winning record by the time they face the Broncos with Locker coming back and a softer schedule after a brutal three game stretch (KC, @Seattle, San Fran).

I cant wait until Denver loses 4 games and I can say "they are who I thought they were"

 

[supafly]

Comeon, supa. The Denver automatic loss thing at home is absurd. They are giving up 28.1ppg and 397ypg.

The only bad defense we played (Atlanta: 26.2 ppg and 366.3ypg) we played pretty good on offense.

I'm not convinced the Pats lose to the Broncos. The Pats can beat them the way the Colts did on defense if the Pats are at full strength by the time they face the Broncos. I also think the Pats' offense will be better with Gronk another 5 weeks healed and Vereen back and will be able to exploit the Broncos' horrible defense. It is the most likely game the Pats lose (considering they are the only strong Super Bowl contender on their schedule left), but as someone said, it ain't a slam dunk.

In fact, I think the Broncos could have another loss or two by the time they come into Foxboro. They have a tough stretch after their bye in a week (@ San Diego, KC, @ NE, @KC, the Titans, and San Diego). Only one team with a losing record (Titans) and they might have a winning record by the time they face the Broncos with Locker coming back and a softer schedule after a brutal three game stretch (KC, @Seattle, San Fran).

I'm not writing it off and betting the house on Denver or anything. I am saying that if we looked at the upcoming opponents, many would feel that game would be one of the losses.

Either way, 11-5 or 12-4 could be very realistic.

 

[supafly]

I picked 1st seed because I'm a positive dude and don't feel the need to prove my objectivity like some fans who think they are a part of the coaching staff.

They should be 6-1 right now. I don't care how much you want to pretend like your BB. Was that STUPID penalty the reason they lost? No, but it was 100% for sure, the reason they were robbed of being able to have a chance to win.

And they also may have just as easily lost the first NYJ game (both teams have scored an equal amount of pts in the two matchups), the BUF game, and/or the Saints game.

5-2 seems pretty spot on to me.

I cant wait until Denver loses 4 games and I can say "they are who I thought they were"

The only reason I don't think that DEN loses 4 games is due to their very weak schedule, and their ability to score a ton of pts.

 

[Froob]

I'd say #3 seed. I don't like our chances in Indy. We wouldn't score much against that defense. On the other hand, Indy wouldn't be able to score much on us. Even in foxborough it'd be a pretty tight game. Would hate to go to Kansas City as well. They'd probably be able to control the time of possession pretty well. And they rarely turn the ball over. I feel like we can beat Denver if our offense can play halfway decent. Denver's d is awful and our corners should be able to play broncs offense like the colts did last night.

 

[SVN]

I have said before this game is that the Jets were the last team on the schedule that has the d-line to give the Pats' o-line fits and get to Brady. So what happened in the second half isn't all that surprising. I said if the d-line can give Brady time, the Pats would pick apart their secondary (which happened a lot in the first half) and if they didn't it could be a long game for the offense (which it was in the second half). I got that prediction right.

Anything can happen, but I expect the Pats to have no less than 10 wins (which would have them going 5-4 the rest of the way). But expect them to have about 11-12 wins, possibly more.

I expect both Talib and Kelly to be back soon (if not this week). Vereen comes back in three games (the first game after the bye) and starts practicing on Wednesday. Gronk will be far closer to 100% by then. I would expect barring more injuries, this team will be the healthiest it has been all season come three games by now if not sooner.

The saints arent anything like the bengals and jets on the Dline.Even they got after brady and had them for 6 pts in the 2nd halves. Its a combination of the other DLine and our oline suckage. So ,even miami which has very decent dline albeit no-name dline will give us the same trouble as the jets did if our oline doesnt play better. Until i see this oline play a clean game this season its hard for me to trust them with any expectation. At least thats my opinion.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I think the bye is attainable if one of two things happen:

-Kelly and Talib are back by the game after the bye at the latest and no more major defensive injuries. It can still be a very good defense with those 2 looking at the schedule other than Denver.

-The offense takes off with Gronk back. We will also need improvement in the interior OL though and obviously Brady has to be his 2010-2012 self.

If one of those happen I can easily see the team finishing with 4 losses or less. If we continue to see the issues that's plagued us on both sides of the ball over the last 3 weeks we're looking at 11-5 at best and most likely playing on WC weekend, if we make it. Winning consistently just won't happen with the issues we currently have.

 

[juny]

I'm guessing KC or Den will get the #1 seed.

After that it really is a toss-up. Indy would have been the favorite for #2 but losing Wayne is a huge loss. Can Luck do it with Hilton, Heyward-Bey, & crap RBs?

Losing to Cincy hurts due to the tiebreaker. Have Pats winning 11-12 games and it's just too hard to tell if that is going to be good enough for a first round bye.

 

[Rob0729]

The saints arent anything like the bengals and jets on the Dline.Even they got after brady and had them for 6 pts in the 2nd halves. Its a combination of the other DLine and our oline suckage. So ,even miami which has very decent dline albeit no-name dline will give us the same trouble as the jets did if our oline doesnt play better. Until i see this oline play a clean game this season its hard for me to trust them with any expectation. At least thats my opinion.

The Pats scored 30 points against the Saints. Prior to that game, the most the Saints have given up in a game was 18 points. Prior to the Patriots game, the Saints were giving up 14.4 PPG and the Pats more than doubled that number.

I don't get your point. The Pats' offense is in trouble because they only scored 6 points (really 13 points) in the second half protecting a lead for most of the game and scoring 17 points in the first half for a total of 30 points vs. a team that hasn't allowed another team score more than 18 points in any other game this year?

 

[SVN]

The Pats scored 30 points against the Saints. Prior to that game, the most the Saints have given up in a game was 18 points. Prior to the Patriots game, the Saints were giving up 14.4 PPG and the Pats more than doubled that number.

I don't get your point. The Pats' offense is in trouble because they only scored 6 points in the second half protecting a lead for most of the game and scoring 24 points in the first half vs. a team that hasn't allowed another team score more than 18 points in any other game this year?

Well. I dont know how you protect a lead in the 2nd half. They were up 17-7 I think.You really think they were protecting a lead in the 2nd half and hence only 6 points until the last minute. ? Also, at least this is my opinion and maybe Iam in the minority but the bengals and jets are better than saints in spite of their points stats so in other words , pats shouldn't be having the same troubles they had with the bengals or jets vs the saints defense. That 2nd half also full of missed opportunities/bad plays and bad oline play regardless of the defense. They certainly weren't protecting a 17-7 lead.

 

[Rob0729]

Well. I dont know how you protect a lead in the 2nd half. They were up 17-7 I think.You really think they were protecting a lead in the 2nd half and hence only 6 points until the last minute. ? Also, at least this is my opinion and maybe Iam in the minority but the bengals and jets are better than saints in spite of their points stats so in other words , pats shouldn't be having the same troubles they had with the bengals or jets vs the saints defense. That 2nd half also full of missed opportunities/bad plays and bad oline play regardless of the defense. They certainly weren't protecting a 17-7 lead.

You think the Jets are better than the Saints? Even with their win yesterday, I think the Jets are a 7-8 win team.

And for the lead thing, it happens all the time. The Colts last night put up 26 points in the first half and only scored 10 points in the first 24 minutes of the second half (13 points total). Teams get up and they take the foot off the gas a bit. Third quarter is an issue with this offense that needs to be corrected, but I don't know how you can trash the Pats' offense for their efforts against the Saints. They need to get better, but against a lesser offense that scoring 23 points until 5 seconds left wouldn't be an issue.

And other than Carolina, the Pats don't face a defense remotely as good as Cincy's, the Jets', or the Saints' defense.

 

[SVN]

You think the Jets are better than the Saints? Even with their win yesterday, I think the Jets are a 7-8 win team.

And for the lead thing, it happens all the time. The Colts last night put up 26 points in the first half and only scored 10 points in the first 24 minutes of the second half (13 points total). Teams get up and they take the foot off the gas a bit. Third quarter is an issue with this offense that needs to be corrected, but I don't know how you can trash the Pats' offense for their efforts against the Saints. They need to get better, but against a lesser offense that scoring 23 points until 5 seconds left wouldn't be an issue.

And other than Carolina, the Pats don't face a defense remotely as good as Cincy's, the Jets', or the Saints' defense.

Didnt say jets are better than the saints. Jets defense is better than the saints and certainly that DLine, at least thats my opinion. Yet our oline performed the same way. To be honest I cant take solace in how other teams perform. If the colts scored only 10 pts in the 2nd half for 24 mins then they didnt do anything good either and almost blew the game. Iam not trashing the offense against the saints entirely. My whole gripe is against the 2nd halves. A team know for gettting better in the 2nd half has offensively gotten worse towards the the 2nd half. last 6 quarters of 2nd half football (excluding the last minute game winner ) have produced 3 ,6 and 6 points. Yes , lot of different issues are there like weather, injuries, refs but a lot falls on the players and coaches also. And with our defensive injuries we can no longer afford to have just 23 pts even against less offenses because we cant rely on the defense to bail us out with their significant injuries.
At least this is how I feel.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I am finding it tough to think right now that the Pats will be a #2 seed come playoff time.

This team in its current state is once again finding it difficult to play 60 minutes of football and added roster additions from injury will help but not change this problem if
it continues,everyone must be on the same page no matter who comes back.

Remember this team is just one major Saints 2 minute drill Brain Fart away from losing 3 games in a row ....this is not how this team usually plays in strings of games but more like the normal of 2 good games and 1 so so game...the last 3 have mostly been stinkers,especially on offense.

I am hopeful but concerned at the same time,making the playoffs is all ANYONE in here should be worried about...thinking about a 2 seed is foolish in October.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I'm guessing KC or Den will get the #1 seed.

After that it really is a toss-up. Indy would have been the favorite for #2 but losing Wayne is a huge loss. Can Luck do it with Hilton, Heyward-Bey, & crap RBs?

Losing to Cincy hurts due to the tiebreaker. Have Pats winning 11-12 games and it's just too hard to tell if that is going to be good enough for a first round bye.

KC will be a wild card IMO

If I was forced to predict the AFC playoff order at this point in time it would be....

#1 Seed - Denver
#2 Seed - Cincinnati
#3 Seed - Indianapolis
#4 Seed - New England
#5 Seed - Kansas City
#6 Seed - Baltimore


Miami and San Diego would be my fringe teams for the 6 seed


BTW: The Colts Trent Richardson will be good...give him time,he is far from crap.