Pat_Nasty
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
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- Aug 20, 2006
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There was a lot of talk last week about how how the Pats hadn't beaten anybody and were paper tigers because of a weak schedule.
Interestingly enough, a quick persual of the NFL conference standings shows that the Pats actually have the 2nd highest strength of victory in the league, highest of teams .500 or better, and the 3rd highest strength of schedule, and again, highest of teams over .500 or better.
First of all, though heading into last Sunday they had 0 victories over teams w/ winning records, after this weekend's games, they came out w/ 3, due to wins by Jets and Bengals. More at issue, however, is the fact that the Pats have played just one game all season vs. a team with a worse record than 5-6, the 4-7 Packers.
While the Pats may have only one victory (and 2 losses) vs. a team that is a current playoff seed, the fact is the Pats also have had a comparably miniscule number gimme games vs. the league's truly terrible teams. The Jets, Bills, Bengals and Vikings might not be elite, but they can beat any team that doesn't show up to play. Consistently outperforming the middle-class teams of the NFL speaks louder about a teams true worth, week in week out, then getting up for a big game or two, and then being able to sleep walk through the Texans and Raiders.
Interestingly enough, a quick persual of the NFL conference standings shows that the Pats actually have the 2nd highest strength of victory in the league, highest of teams .500 or better, and the 3rd highest strength of schedule, and again, highest of teams over .500 or better.
First of all, though heading into last Sunday they had 0 victories over teams w/ winning records, after this weekend's games, they came out w/ 3, due to wins by Jets and Bengals. More at issue, however, is the fact that the Pats have played just one game all season vs. a team with a worse record than 5-6, the 4-7 Packers.
While the Pats may have only one victory (and 2 losses) vs. a team that is a current playoff seed, the fact is the Pats also have had a comparably miniscule number gimme games vs. the league's truly terrible teams. The Jets, Bills, Bengals and Vikings might not be elite, but they can beat any team that doesn't show up to play. Consistently outperforming the middle-class teams of the NFL speaks louder about a teams true worth, week in week out, then getting up for a big game or two, and then being able to sleep walk through the Texans and Raiders.