The AFC West is tough, but anybody agree that it helps us?

[patchick]

my concern at this point is not having played a contender until the playoffs

It certainly feels that way, but I think that may be an illusion based on the lackluster play around the league this year.

There are currently 8 other teams in the AFC with records at .500 or above; the Patriots will have played 6 of the 8 (all but Oakland and KC). Next week they're squaring off against the team that's the current favorite to represent the NFC in the Superbowl (Seattle). If none of those teams qualify as a contender, who does?

 

[Ring 6]

my concern at this point is not having played a contender until the playoffs

still, this is a BB team, but that is still a concern

huh? We will have played whoever the North winner is, we have played the south leader, and we will play Denver.
I don't think any team ever plays every contender but we will play most of them.

Plus we play Seattle in a week, and they surely are a contender

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The Pats hopefully get to play a healthy Broncos team and Seattle comes here fired up. I want those 2 games to be tough. Even if the Pats win by 2 TDs each time i want the feeling that the other team played really well.

Agreed. I was in the minority who wished that they'd played the Steelers with Big Ben at QB. Beating Pittsburgh on the road with a 2x SB QB winner on the field makes a different kind of statement. But, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the W...

 

[captain insano]

anything that helps us avoid going to den in the playoffs and get the 1 seed is a good thing. hopefully when we play den they will be at least 2 games behind the pats.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

It certainly feels that way, but I think that may be an illusion based on the lackluster play around the league this year.

...

Yeah. I was thinking along similar lines. I rarely watch much of a game anymore if the Pats aren't playing, but the games I do watch all seem to follow the same parallel pattern. Teams all seem to have a limited number of formations on Offense and, after you've watched the first half, you've pretty well seen everything they have.

The Pats are different than everybody else with the crazy range of formations that they throw at other teams on Offense. It's like most other teams have a playbook of "x" number of plays and the Pats have "10x." Maybe some of the better-coached teams will expand their playbook as the season goes on.

The reason Buffalo had a chance to beat the Pats in Foxboro wasn't just that a third string rookie QB started with a busted hand that needed surgery two days after the game and was backed up by a WR (though that didn't help), but that the rook was also playing with about 25% of the Playbook both because of his inexperience and his injury.

 

[mosslost]

Wanted to ask this question as a separate thread, but it works here too:

Are the Faiders now (at 7-2) a greater threat to HFA than the Donkeys?
They have left: Texans , Panthers, Bills, at Chiefs , at Chargers , Colts, at Broncos.

Seems pretty tough to think they could win out, but if they did they would be 4-0 in common opponents (Jills, Texans, Denver).

If Pats go 14-2, best would be 3-1 for common, and if Denver is the extra loss 2-2.

I weight the Denver HFA as a greater threat than the Raiders HFA , but traveling to left Coast in Play-off Season would be no fun either.

is either Team a reasonable threat to equal pats record? Too many Games left to play, injuries /+Health changes yet to occur.

But yeah, the afcw beating each other up seems like a good thing right now.

Well. Put it this way we do have a game on them now already. They also have a battle on their hands to even be a division winner. But I hear you. I think even if they do very well they would ride 5-2, to a 12-4 record... means we need to go 6-2 to win out by record alone (no tie breakers). I think us going at least 6-2 is probable but anything can happen. I hear you I dont want to go to Denver in the playoffs again but I would rather not go to Oakland either.

 

[deroc5050]

Wanted to ask this question as a separate thread, but it works here too:

Are the Faiders now (at 7-2) a greater threat to HFA than the Donkeys?
They have left: Texans , Panthers, Bills, at Chiefs , at Chargers , Colts, at Broncos.

Seems pretty tough to think they could win out, but if they did they would be 4-0 in common opponents (Jills, Texans, Denver).

If Pats go 14-2, best would be 3-1 for common, and if Denver is the extra loss 2-2.

I weight the Denver HFA as a greater threat than the Raiders HFA , but traveling to left Coast in Play-off Season would be no fun either.

is either Team a reasonable threat to equal pats record? Too many Games left to play, injuries /+Health changes yet to occur.

But yeah, the afcw beating each other up seems like a good thing right now.

Its highly unlikely that the banged up Bronco's or the Raiders will get HFA. They play in the toughest Division in the NFL. The Raiders/Broncos will be lucky if they go 12-4.