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Playoff Scenarios

Jim Beankie

In the Starting Line-Up
If I'm playing and earning close to or at minimum, that $37.5k that the Pats players made last year in that playoff loss is not an insignificant amount. $300k to win it all and fulfilling a dream.

 

signbabybrady

Pro Bowl Player
2021 Weekly NFL Picks Winner
If I'm playing and earning close to or at minimum, that $37.5k that the Pats players made last year in that playoff loss is not an insignificant amount. $300k to win it all and fulfilling a dream.

Even a player the caliber of Randy enjoyed straight cash homie
 

jdlboot14

Rotational Player and Threatening Starter's Job
It all starts with us winning this week. Our last home game of the year. We've actually been terrible at home in Mac's tenure.
I hope Harris can return with power, to spell Rham, and establish a solid run-controlled offense. We're down (mabye both) starting TE's, and 2 of top 3 CB's, so we'll need our best offensive game of the year. We'll know at 4pm on Sun whether this team believes in BB (and MP) or if it's going to be a major shake-up in the offseason.
 

Ross12

Moderator
Staff member
PatsFans.com Supporter
Patriots win next two, they're in

OR

Patriots win vs Dolphins, AND
Jets lose at Seahawks, AND
Jets win at Dolphins, AND
Jaguars win next week against Titans, AND
Steelers lose one of their next two against Ravens or Browns, AND
Raiders lose one of their next two against 49ers and Chiefs
 

venecol

PatsFans.com Supporter
PatsFans.com Supporter
2021 Weekly NFL Picks Winner
2022 Weekly NFL Picks Winner
Patriots win next two, they're in

OR

Patriots win vs Dolphins, AND
Jets lose at Seahawks, AND
Jets win at Dolphins, AND
Jaguars win next week against Titans, AND
Steelers lose one of their next two against Ravens or Browns, AND
Raiders lose one of their next two against 49ers and Chiefs
If Pats beat MIA and Jets beat SEA, the Pats open the door to let the Jets take #7 by beating MIA in Wk 18, which I can see happening more so than ALL of the above occurring.
 

Patjew

PatsFans.com Supporter
PatsFans.com Supporter
Patriots win next two, they're in

OR

Patriots win vs Dolphins, AND
Jets lose at Seahawks, AND
Jets win at Dolphins, AND
Jaguars win next week against Titans, AND
Steelers lose one of their next two against Ravens or Browns, AND
Raiders lose one of their next two against 49ers and Chiefs
How can we not get in haha
 

Ross12

Moderator
Staff member
PatsFans.com Supporter
If Pats beat MIA and Jets beat SEA, the Pats open the door to let the Jets take #7 by beating MIA in Wk 18, which I can see happening more so than ALL of the above occurring.
Yeah, if the Jets beat Seattle this weekend then the Buffalo game becomes a must-win, because:

- If the Jets beat Seattle and beat Miami, they end up 9-8
- If the Jets beat Seattle and lose to Miami, then Miami ends up 9-8

Either way, one of those two teams ends their season at 9-8, and New England losing to Buffalo would leave them at 8-9 and out of the postseason. The Patriots would have to beat Buffalo and also finish 9-8 to win the tiebreaker. But if the Jets lose to Seattle and beat Miami then it unlocks the possibility of making it at 8-9 with all of those other contingencies.
 

Triumph

Hall of Fame Poster
Yeah, if the Jets beat Seattle this weekend then the Buffalo game becomes a must-win, because:

- If the Jets beat Seattle and beat Miami, they end up 9-8
- If the Jets beat Seattle and lose to Miami, then Miami ends up 9-8

Either way, one of those two teams ends their season at 9-8, and New England losing to Buffalo would leave them at 8-9 and out of the postseason. The Patriots would have to beat Buffalo and also finish 9-8 to win the tiebreaker. But if the Jets lose to Seattle and beat Miami then it unlocks the possibility of making it at 8-9 with all of those other contingencies.
The million dollar question is will BB play Zappe if these next 2 games are in immenent danger of slipping away?
 

Patsgofor4

In the Starting Line-Up
Patriots win next two, they're in

OR

Patriots win vs Dolphins, AND
Jets lose at Seahawks, AND
Jets win at Dolphins, AND
Jaguars win next week against Titans, AND
Steelers lose one of their next two against Ravens or Browns, AND
Raiders lose one of their next two against 49ers and Chiefs

Making the playoffs at 8-9 would be kind of pathetic but I’ll play along.

Individually those 6 scenarios could very well happen. Raiders losing one of their last two is a near certainty. I would say that the Jags and Steelers scenarios are more likely than not scenarios. Jets losing in a very tough place to play and then beating Miami in week 18 is also not a stretch.

If the Pats secondary were fully healthy I’d give them a good chance to beat Miami at home (even if Tua had played). If Mills can’t go and Bryant has to match up with Waddle while they double Hill with JJ and a safety, it could get ugly. Even Mills (esp with a less than 100% groin) vs. Waddle is a tough ask, given the speed/explosiveness disparity. The Marcus Jones loss is just a killer. He doesn’t have an official 40 time on record but he definitely looks like a sub 4.4 guy in games.
 
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MAC10

Dinker and Dunker
2020 Weekly NFL Picks Winner
NFCCG will be Tampa vs Philly. Brady’s OL (C-Jensen & LT-Smith) is getting healthy at just the right time.

Ryan Jensen hasn’t played a snap since last January, and Donavan Smith sucks without Marpet. And Fournette ran a whopping 51 yards last year against the Rams behind Jensen and their oline
 
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VectorPrime

Pro Bowl Player
People who seriously value moving up 4-7 picks in the draft (especially for a team that typically moves back and in a league whose draft has produced All-Pro players in every single round) over a playoff berth absolutely baffle me.

I don’t value the draft pick. I value getting people fired.
 

Patsgofor4

In the Starting Line-Up
Ryan Jensen hasn’t played a snap since last January, and Donavan Smith sucks without Marpet. And Fournette ran a whopping 51 yards last year against the Rams behind Jensen and their oline

At the risk of causing the Brady bobos to start frothing at the mouth…..
The two most critical factors in the playoffs during Tampa’s championship run were their dominant defense (#1 factor by a good margin) and Covid (not having to deal with a single loud/hostile crowd even as a wild card entry). They will have neither of those advantages this year.

If you have watched Tampa over the past month and still believe that they are poised to make an unexpected playoff run, you are simply deluding yourself.
 

VectorPrime

Pro Bowl Player
At the risk of causing the Brady bobos to start frothing at the mouth…..
The two most critical factors in the playoffs during Tampa’s championship run were their dominant defense (#1 factor by a good margin) and Covid (not having to deal with a single loud/hostile crowd even as a wild card entry). They will have neither of those advantages this year.

If you have watched Tampa over the past month and still believe that they are poised to make an unexpected playoff run, you are simply deluding yourself.

Ok if you want to go this route maybe look at the places Tampa played in in 2020, states where there were crowds let in before most others. This really isn’t an argument you want to make because Covid restrictions removing the preseason, limited the offseason, and limiting practices made it so Brady on an entirely new team had to power through MORE adversity than normal. I remember that prior to the season people argued that this is why Belichick would have an advantage because he’s so ultra prepared compared to others and will be able to use the limited time better. Whoops, got that completely wrong.

Seriously, it’s pathetic how Patriots fans use Covid as a cope for the complete unmitigated failure of the team’s 2020 season when I know for a fact that the talk PRIOR to the season was how the Patriots were going to be able to take advantage of the situation. And it’s even more pathetic to use it to downplay other teams.
 

crawhammer

PatsFans.com Supporter
PatsFans.com Supporter
Ryan Jensen hasn’t played a snap since last January, and Donavan Smith sucks without Marpet. And Fournette ran a whopping 51 yards last year against the Rams behind Jensen and their oline
If Jensen's truly healthy then he'll be an immediate upgrade for their o-line. They'll be able to move Hainsey to LG. Mason has been ok at RG and Wirfs is an all-pro at RT when fully healthy. Smith has been a complete disaster at LT, and I doubt they would bench him at this point, but I think it at least becomes an option with Jensen back in the mix.
 

MAC10

Dinker and Dunker
2020 Weekly NFL Picks Winner
If Jensen's truly healthy then he'll be an immediate upgrade for their o-line. They'll be able to move Hainsey to LG. Mason has been ok at RG and Wirfs is an all-pro at RT when fully healthy. Smith has been a complete disaster at LT, and I doubt they would bench him at this point, but I think it at least becomes an option with Jensen back in the mix.

Ok, but you realize Wirfs has a high ankle sprain that’s not going to magically heal?
 

Ross12

Moderator
Staff member
PatsFans.com Supporter
Making the playoffs at 8-9 would be kind of pathetic but I’ll play along.

Individually those 6 scenarios could very well happen. Raiders losing one of their last two is a near certainty. I would say that the Jags and Steelers scenarios are more likely than not scenarios. Jets losing in a very tough place to play and then beating Miami in week 18 is also not a stretch.

If the Pats secondary were fully healthy I’d give them a good chance to beat Miami at home (even if Tua had played). If Mills can’t go and Bryant has to match up with Waddle while they double Hill with JJ and a safety, it could get ugly. Even Mills (esp with a less than 100% groin) vs. Waddle is a tough ask, given the speed/explosiveness disparity. The Marcus Jones loss is just a killer. He doesn’t have an official 40 time on record but he definitely looks like a sub 4.4 guy in games.
Yeah, for the most part they are all situations that are more likely than unlikely but I agree that hoping for all of the above to back into the playoffs at 8-9 is a little sad.
 

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