Soul_Survivor88
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2015
- Messages
- 7,131
- Reaction score
- 12,056
The New England Patriots win ugly in Tampa: Puzzling over what to make of Bill Belichick's 3-2 team
"The 2017 Patriots are uncharacteristically sloppy. They're uncommonly explosive on offense; never before have they had such speed and big-play ability all over the field. They're still capable of moving the chains and sustaining long drives, too. They're also an injury away -- to Danny Amendola or Rob Gronkowski, two of the most injury-prone players on the roster -- from being in massive trouble. The defense has plenty of talent on the backend. Not quite as sure about the front seven, but they seem to be figuring it out.
In October 2016, the Patriots' status as a Super Bowl contender was cemented. Even when Tom Brady was suspended, it was abundantly clear that they had an excellent squad top to bottom. They were dominant, losing only two games all season -- one with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback and the other after a failed 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line against Seattle.
The 2017 Patriots are not dominant.
Just how good can they be?
We really don't know."
Hard to say. The Patriots are currently 3-2 and are still trying to address questions on both sides of the ball.
On one hand, I'm encouraged by how the defense responded on a short week -- winning a prime-time game on the road -- and how the team as a whole rallied in defense of Gilmore. It took some mental toughness to slug it out with the Bucs while shorthanded without Gronk.
There's obviously talent on this roster (particularly the receiver corps, the running backs, the secondary, and QB!). I'll never count a Bill Belichick team with Tom Brady the at helm. And I think this this has the potential to achieve something great!
Still.... how often do teams with so many unresolved questions (a quarter into the season) go on to win the 16-game war of attrition, make a deep playoff run, and win the Super Bowl?
The AFC isnt that good, but it's certainly getting better. The Chiefs are arguably the most balanced team and I believe, will have the top seed in the AFC.
Pittsburgh may also be in contention for the bye. Meanwhile, the Texas finally have someone resembling a franchise quarterback to go with its elite defense. The Broncos may also make a return to the playoffs as a wildcard (if their offense can stay productive).
I'm skeptical that this team is guaranteed to appear in the Super Bowl. My hope right now is that the team maintains a reasonable level of health and can at least obtain a bye. Anything lower than 12-4, and this team likely is playing Wildcard Weekend.