Still a SB chance after losing Gronk?

[SVN]

This is the best wide receiver corps the patriots have ever had for brady.

The depth of Amendola-dobson-edelman-thompkins-boyce-and now vereen, is something that can't be game planned for.

This is a better talent version of the 2006 patriot reciver corp.

sure but 3 of them are rookies. Cant underestimate how gronk helped attention away from these guys to get open. Not to mention the fact that other than edelman all these guys have had the injury bug this yr.
2 things will give the pats a better chance , 1. No more injuries 2. Need to get the bye.
Winning the following 3 games might be more tougher than the first playoff game IMO.

 

[oldskool138]

Why is everyone assuming the pats won't get the 1 seed?

Because it's highly unlikely. The Pats have to go to Miami (a tough division game to a team that also has playoff hopes) and Baltimore (another team looking to make the playoffs). The Broncos play a middling Chargers team at home and then two road games at Oakland and Houston. The Pats' road is tougher than the Broncos.

 

[fnordcircle]

in terms of depth!!

Moss
Welker
Gaffney
Stallworth
Washington

Is a lot better than

Edelman
Amendola
Dobson
Thompkins
Boyce


Maybe in a year or two when I think Dobson, Boyce and Thompkins will all be solid but I'd need to eat a lot of shrooms to think our current roster beats 2007. And that's not even talking about our 80s rosters with Morgan and Fryar who would have excelled in a non-Berry offense.

 

[fnordcircle]

On the road in Denver (where the Pats haven't had much success) with the D we have now and no Gronk? No.

2007: The Giants will never be able to keep up with a team like the Patriots.

 

[SVN]

I think you are missing the larger point, which is the way the organization is run that produces those results. Its not luck, its design.
Many of those 10 teams had issues as well. The fact that they gutted out a tough win yesterday is more to the point than against it.

But ultimately deeper in the season the injuries and lack of talent catches up . Look at 2006. We shouldve beaten indy if rodney didnt get hurt in the titans game or one of these avg WRs catches the football .And that team had a better defense than this lot , at least more experienced.
I would be happy to be wrong all this and frankly if they go on the road and beat miami , I would become more of a believer in the ultimate goal than right now. We are the same team as the first half of the season now with a worser defense and the 2 main rookie WRs hurt. Its asking a lot.

 

[SVN]

2007: The Giants will never be able to keep up with a team like the Patriots.

Give me that front 4 of the giants and I will feel more confident.

 

[oldskool138]

2007: The Giants will never be able to keep up with a team like the Patriots.

The Giants front 4 in that game were phenomenal. The Pats don't have anyone on D like the Giants did that year.

 

[SVN]

Why is everyone assuming the pats won't get the 1 seed? Denver could lose to a good team like San Diego this Thursday and we could run the table.

Pats getting the 2 seed would be an achievement without gronk and this defense. Defeating miami and balitmore back to back is no joke. We might very well end up with the 3rd seed , forget the 1st seed. Miami is playing well for all its distractions.

 

[SVN]

The Giants front 4 in that game were phenomenal. The Pats don't have anyone on D like the Giants did that year.

Which also brings up how inconsistent our oline has been this yr which is another unexpected issue they have to deal with right now.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

D issues not stoping guys like jason campbell. OL issues and now gronk. They will win a playoff game...but no more then that.

We still have 3 games left...time for someone else to get injured. This team is cursed this year

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Pats getting the 2 seed would be an achievement without gronk and this defense. Defeating miami and balitmore back to back is no joke. We might very well end up with the 3rd seed , forget the 1st seed. Miami is playing well for all its distractions.

But you can't just write off the 1 seed, which was my point. Miami and buffalo are winnable games. Baltimore will be the toughest, but they can be beaten as e hapless Vikings nearly showed.

 

[Banjo]

I honestly thought we were best in the AFC with all of our weapons back, finally. With Gronk back we finally looked like the New England Patriots again.

Can we beat Broncos in Denver without him? I say... no. :bricks:

 

[fnordcircle]

Thank God Gronk got hurt, the negative nancies were struggling to come up with reasons why everything was terrible. Now I can see you're all energized and ready to preemptively mope about how awful our lot is in our football life.

This team has more heart than any we've had post 2004. Yeah it's stupid that we keep letting teams get up on us but these guys will never ******* quit and they're gonna win it all you stupid sons of *****es!

 

[oldskool138]

Thank God Gronk got hurt, the negative nancies were struggling to come up with reasons why everything was terrible. Now I can see you're all energized and ready to preemptively mope about how awful our lot is in our football life.

This team has more heart than any we've had post 2004. Yeah it's stupid that we keep letting teams get up on us but these guys will never ******* quit and they're gonna win it all you stupid sons of *****es!

There's no need to curse. But there were plenty of things wrong with this Pats team to complain about before Gronk got hurt. How about the enormous amount of sacks the O-line is giving up? How about the run defense (which was okay yesterday...except when it wasn't)?

 

[coolguy]

I honestly thought we were best in the AFC with all of our weapons back, finally. With Gronk back we finally looked like the New England Patriots again.

Can we beat Broncos in Denver without him? I say... no. :bricks:

peyton manning will face the most pressure this playoffs than he has ever faced in his career.

I know everyone here hats the jets, but if rex ryan can beat the bengals (who haven't won a playoff game) and create a game plan to shut down the broncos like he did the pats in 2010..everything will fall into place.

The jets are the only team besides the patriots that know how to shut down a offense like the broncos.

The jets are bracket busters that can take out the pats biggest competition in 2 games.....They have to stop sucking.

 

[Ring 6]

peyton manning will face the most pressure this playoffs than he has ever faced in his career.

I know everyone here hats the jets, but if rex ryan can beat the bengals (who haven't won a playoff game) and create a game plan to shut down the broncos like he did the pats in 2010..everything will fall into place.

The jets are the only team besides the patriots that know how to shut down a offense like the broncos.

How is a 6-10 team going to be playing in the divisional round, and have you seen the Jets defense play this year? They are allowing 25.9 ppg, which is 24th in the NFL.

 

[Ring 6]

But ultimately deeper in the season the injuries and lack of talent catches up . Look at 2006. We shouldve beaten indy if rodney didnt get hurt in the titans game or one of these avg WRs catches the football .And that team had a better defense than this lot , at least more experienced.
I would be happy to be wrong all this and frankly if they go on the road and beat miami , I would become more of a believer in the ultimate goal than right now. We are the same team as the first half of the season now with a worser defense and the 2 main rookie WRs hurt. Its asking a lot.

This discussion started with the claim that the Bengals would take the #2 seed away. We play 3 teams with records of 7-6,7-6 and 4-9 and they play 3 teams with records of 7-6, 5-8, 3-9-1.
I think that the excpetional history of being prpeared for December football is certainly a factor in predicting whether the Bengals will make up a game on us in those 3 weeks. You appear to think the organizations are equal at this point.

 

[coolguy]

How is a 6-10 team going to be playing in the divisional round, and have you seen the Jets defense play this year? They are allowing 25.9 ppg, which is 24th in the NFL.

Most of those points were off of geno.


Damn i thought the jets defense was great with that d-line.. i still like their chances against peyton in the cold.



I still hope rex can pull something out of his hat and upset the broncos..

 

[Ring 6]

Most of those points were off of geno.

Totally not correct. And besides in your ficticious game he would be the QB.

Damn i thought the jets defense was great with that d-line..

Look at the results

I still hope rex can pull something out of his hat and upset the broncos..

He won't even play them. The Jets have zero chance of making the playoffs, much less winning a game.
I prefer the chances of a team that wins games knocking off Denver, such as THE PATRIOTS to a team that was gifted 2 wins on bad calls and would otherwise be 4-10 after their rousing victory over the pathetic Raiders for their 2nd win in 6 weeks

 

[SVN]

peyton manning will face the most pressure this playoffs than he has ever faced in his career.

I know everyone here hats the jets, but if rex ryan can beat the bengals (who haven't won a playoff game) and create a game plan to shut down the broncos like he did the pats in 2010..everything will fall into place.

The jets are the only team besides the patriots that know how to shut down a offense like the broncos.

The jets are bracket busters that can take out the pats biggest competition in 2 games.....They have to stop sucking.

manning has repeatedly beaten up rex ryan style defenses. Chiefs defensive coordinator is a ryan disciple and see what he did to them.
Bengals and broncos are two different teams. Ryan's scheme is very stubborn about stopping the run. BB's defense gives manning more trouble.