The fight for the #1 Seed in the AFC....what will it take for us to win it?

[SHOWTIME15]

I hope Oakland wins out so we have to win in Miami and don't waste a chance to play a game and improve.

If we lose to baltimore, and OAK wins out, then it won't matter what we do in Miami.

 

[mosslost]

Unless OAK loses one of the next 2 (@ SD and vs IND) then the PATS will have to win out to control their destiny. Otherwise they will have to rely on either an OAK loss @ DEN or KC winning out to force the 3-way tie that the PATS own.

And OAK and KC play after us in week 17.

exactly. The Pats have to win their games still at this point.

 

[Ring 6]

Losing on purpose versus holding back a bit...not the same thing. Basically, try to win, but try to go into postseason healthy too.

E.g., I won't mind if he sits Welker (not literally, but you get what I'm saying), doesn't open up the playbook, etc.. Don't let Brady get demolished by Suh. Maybe put in Garrrapalo for second half...

I think the chances of winning the SB are the best if we play all out for 60 minutes the next 4 weeks.

 

[Ring 6]

If we lose to baltimore, and OAK wins out, then it won't matter what we do in Miami.

Sure it will. Oakland is in second place. We would need to beat Miami to get the tiebreaker from KC
Since Kc and Oakland play after us that day the only way the Miami game would be meaningless is if we are either 2 games behind them meaning we lose all 3 before then and they run the table until then or that we go 3-0 and they each lose another game in the next 2 weeks.

Oh and we aren't losing to Baltimore.

 

[mosslost]

I heard BB say once (I wish I could find the interview) that there is no better practice for playoff success than just winning all your games and always trying to win, and having it feel shocking almost to lose when you rarely do. (Because... obviously, to win the Super Bowl you cannot lose... its all single elimination)

That partly explains all the long extended win streaks, and great regular seasons.. 14-2 over and over, 16-0, etc. Take 2004 for example, they locked the 2 seed at 13-2, and could not improve it by going 14-2, but he said in a later interview that that team "deserved to be 14-2".

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Sure it will. Oakland is in second place. We would need to beat Miami to get the tiebreaker from KC
Since Kc and Oakland play after us that day the only way the Miami game would be meaningless is if we are either 2 games behind them meaning we lose all 3 before then and they run the table until then or that we go 3-0 and they each lose another game in the next 2 weeks.

Oh and we aren't losing to Baltimore.

I hope you're right about Baltimore.

It may help to give a few of the guys some rest. I am hoping NE wraps up the 1 seed in the next 2 weeks so they can let Bennett rest against the Jets and Dolphins. That will give him a month to heal up.

 

[Ring 6]

I hope you're right about Baltimore.

It may help to give a few of the guys some rest. I am hoping NE wraps up the 1 seed in the next 2 weeks so they can let Bennett rest against the Jets and Dolphins. That will give him a month to heal up.

I'd rather see them need to play 60 minutes of each of the next 4 games to be sharp and prepared going into the playoffs.
Sitting guys down so they don't get hurt sets a team backward.

 

[mosslost]

I'd rather see them need to play 60 minutes of each of the next 4 games to be sharp and prepared going into the playoffs.
Sitting guys down so they don't get hurt sets a team backward.

I'd rather they do what you are saying, play to win the games and get better, even if they have it all clinched. I don't wish that they HAVE to though. I just think they will and should regardless. You are right that they will be better if they do.

 

[Ring 6]

I'd rather they do what you are saying, play to win the games and get better, even if they have it all clinched. I don't wish that they HAVE to though. I just think they will and should regardless. You are right that they will be better if they do.

After last year I'm not confident in belichick handling the end of the regular season right if they dont have to win

 

[obgod3]

I heard BB say once (I wish I could find the interview) that there is no better practice for playoff success than just winning all your games and always trying to win, and having it feel shocking almost to lose when you rarely do. (Because... obviously, to win the Super Bowl you cannot lose... its all single elimination)
.

Yep so what happened last year against Miami, did he forget what he said....LOL

 

[luuked]

You might be right, we'll see. I guarantee this though -- if we are in the position to lose intentionally to Miami to knock Denver out of the playoffs, there will be a very lively discussion on PatsFans (and everywhere else) about the merits of doing so.

Miami will take themselves out of the playoff picture this weekend against Arizona. But would have been a nice situation to be in.. first slam Denver at home and then keep them out of the playoffs by playing with reserves..

 

[SHOWTIME15]

I'd rather see them need to play 60 minutes of each of the next 4 games to be sharp and prepared going into the playoffs.
Sitting guys down so they don't get hurt sets a team backward.

I agree on playing everyone except bennett. He doesn't look right.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

Win Out!

 

[SHOWTIME15]

After last year I'm not confident in belichick handling the end of the regular season right if they dont have to win

Last year i think belichick felt confident enough that if the team had to go to denver they could win there since the pats did so well in the regular season game against the broncos. of course thay backfired.

 

[luuked]

After last year I'm not confident in belichick handling the end of the regular season right if they dont have to win

How do you know the outcome would have been preferable if we had played differently ?

We force it to Gronk to win that game, he gets hit even harder into his back and needs fusion surgery that ends his career.

Brady holds on to the ball in their redzone a bit too long andly gets hit by one of the Dolphins pass rushers and tears another ACL. With the turnstile OL of last year entirely possible.

My point is that it is pointless to speculate about what would have been if we did things differently. I fully understand and find it hard to disagree with BB's notion that guaranteed health trumps the possibility of losing HFA.

We will see if they "learned" anything from last year in that regard.

 

[PatriotsReign]

I hate hashtags!!

###### them!!

The worst is when some dope actually verbalizes "Hashtag go FY!" as if it's supposed to be spoken

If I could, I'd get be myself a "winner" on this post

But I'm too humble

 

[Ring 6]

How do you know the outcome would have been preferable if we had played differently ?

We force it to Gronk to win that game, he gets hit even harder into his back and needs fusion surgery that ends his career.

Brady holds on to the ball in their redzone a bit too long andly gets hit by one of the Dolphins pass rushers and tears another ACL. With the turnstile OL of last year entirely possible.

My point is that it is pointless to speculate about what would have been if we did things differently. I fully understand and find it hard to disagree with BB's notion that guaranteed health trumps the possibility of losing HFA.

We will see if they "learned" anything from last year in that regard.

Injuries wouldn't have prevented us from losing the afccg. We could have done that no matter who was hurt.

 

[mosslost]

After last year I'm not confident in belichick handling the end of the regular season right if they dont have to win

the thing is last year they actually did need to win.

 

[Ring 6]

the thing is last year they actually did need to win.

i know. I will never understand his thinking.
My guess is that the ol was so hurt he was afraid of his own offense.

 

[brdmaverick]

You might be right, we'll see. I guarantee this though -- if we are in the position to lose intentionally to Miami to knock Denver out of the playoffs, there will be a very lively discussion on PatsFans (and everywhere else) about the merits of doing so.

The conspiracy theorists had a field day with a similar scenario in 2005.

The Pats could have earned a better seed with a home win vs Miami but that would set them up with a potential match up against Pittsburgh.

Remember, that was the Flutie dropkick game. Who does a dropkick these days.....unless you're actually trying to lose?