Toughest contenders

[rhodeislandpatsfan]

I know every team is allowed to have an "off" week but IMO the best contenders of the league didn't appear to be world beaters.

I notice everyone is dying to hand an undefeated season to the Packers but that squad does remotely resemble the dominance of the '07 Pats

If Baltimore proved that Flacco is not ready step up and their defense, although very good is not good enough to overcome their offensive short-comings.

San Diego will always have Norv, enough said!
Jets......see above!

I don't think Dallas' rookie RB will put up 256 every week which is crucial to Romo success.

Pittsburgh, check back sunday night!

 

[BradyManny]

This is a very odd season so far - and given the shortened offseason I'm not surprised.

We've seen the wheels fall off one AFC titan. Some of the other perennial contenders have been inconsistent (Pittsburgh). Meanwhile you now have a few potential dark horses hanging around - Oakland, Cincy, Buffalo.

I really think that the Patriots can firmly separate themselves from the pack if they win this weekend in Pittsburgh & then in the Meadowlands on 11/13. Even moreso than last year - there are no other truly elite teams in the AFC. The Pats might be the only one - if their offense can stay elite, and their defense continues to improve at the pace at which it is getting better right now.

Naturally, Baltimore scares most pats fans if we have to face them in the offseason. But after last nite's performance in Jacksonville, they look a little less daunting.

The NFC has a bunch of teams who fit the blueprint of teams that can give the Patriots problems. Of course the Packers are scary - but the Giants, Cowboys, Lions all have the aggressive front lines that can get pressure with a 4 man rush against our smaller OL and could derail this team in a Super Bowl match.

But that's a problem I'd love to be worrying about in February.

 

[groundgame]

1. Pittsburg; 2. New York Jets (best overall full coaching staff in AFC); 3. Baltimore (in spite of last night / gimme an excellent defense over excellent offense).

 

[everlong]

Not that it will hold up but if the playoffs started today the Ravens would be the 7 seed and the Jets the 9 seed making them spectators for the post season.

 

[RIpats88]

if the Patriots Defense can build upon the last couple games and become middle of the pack, I think we have a good chance to take the AFC

alot of the top teams in the AFC for whatever reason seem to have taken a step back from the past year...the pats are essentially the same(although more commitment to the running game this year)

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

The Packers and Saints worry me the most, thankfully we'd only have to face 1 at most.

Our offense is so much more dynamic this year, and Waters makes our interior OL so much harder to penetrate. If we swallow our pride and are willing to run the ball no defense can hold us down for 4 quarters. Even the Ravens and Jets I can see us having great success against and their offenses are good matchups for our D. Regardless of what people say, I still view those teams as good matchups as long as we don't play into their gameplans - get one dimensional on offense and leave our defense out to dry.

Rodgers and Brees both scare the crap out of me, and I wouldn't be comfortable against either regardless of how big a lead we may get.

 

[gmtaxi27]

I think the only team that scares me is the Jets. They seem to match up well against us, and do seem to confuse Brady more than any other team. Pittsburgh is a close 2nd because of Big Ben. Even though we have Pitt's number, Big Ben has tremendous heart and won't go down easy.

I am not putting anyone in the NFC, because if we get there I will be real happy. Of course I want to win it all, but if we somehow fall short to Green Bay or the Saints I won't be devestated.

 

[ALP]

I think the only team that scares me is the Jets. They seem to match up well against us, and do seem to confuse Brady more than any other team. Pittsburgh is a close 2nd because of Big Ben. Even though we have Pitt's number, Big Ben has tremendous heart and won't go down easy.

I am not putting anyone in the NFC, because if we get there I will be real happy. Of course I want to win it all, but if we somehow fall short to Green Bay or the Saints I won't be devestated.

i think if we were to draw a match against either GB or NO, we would see a game played by the Pats defense like we havnt seen in a LONG time, one that would go down as one of BB's greatest games much like that colts playoff game w/ the law-rodney switch

 

[RIpats88]

I think the only team that scares me is the Jets. They seem to match up well against us, and do seem to confuse Brady more than any other team. Pittsburgh is a close 2nd because of Big Ben. Even though we have Pitt's number, Big Ben has tremendous heart and won't go down easy.

I am not putting anyone in the NFC, because if we get there I will be real happy. Of course I want to win it all, but if we somehow fall short to Green Bay or the Saints I won't be devestated.

ya, personally I want to see us hammer the Jets at home before i'm comfortable with them...same with the steelers even though we seem to have their number....Even though IMO, the Jets look like they took a step backwards this year, beating the Jets a 2nd time would really hammer in that we are better than them this year

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Some could say that this years Raven's defense is similar to the Ravens D of thier 2000 Championship Year.

That defense won the title and thier offense in 2000 was worse than this year's team....They won a title with Trent freaking Dilfer for Heaven's Sake

Don't discount the Ravens by last night's game....the Ravens and Packers seem to be the teams with the best chance to get to the SB at this point IMO.

The Pats could be dangerous if the D continues to improve.....it HAS to improve....and we also need continued balance of run and pass as well.

 

[RIpats88]

Im just not sold on the ravens...their Defense is great, but Im not sure they can cover up for how horrible flacco is in the playoffs

 

[patsinthesnow]

The 2nd best team in the AFC IMO (right now) is the Bills. 3rd in PPG, 15th in passing yards, 4th in rushing yards. Balanced, strong offense.

Defense, weak yardage wise, 31st NFL, 23rd points, however they lead the league in takeaways. They are similar to the Pats. Wins against Pats, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles, 3 point losses to Bengals/Giants.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Pretty much every strong team has some weaknesses or lapses

Some coaches are better than others at covering those up

Some coaches are better than others at exploiting those weaknesses

Some teams are better at rising to the occasion when the stakes are highest

Some teams will suffer key injuries and may or may not see their roster depth carry the day

Some teams that may not appear strongest now will develop further and peak at just the right time, with good health and good coaching making all the difference.

In my opinion, while positioning for playoff contention is becoming increasingly important as of Week 8, what matter most is the health and development of any team that makes the playoffs.

Once the playoffs start, the season starts fresh. Every team is 0-0 and while home field may help, playing on the road or against any particular opponent will not be a factor for a Championship caliber team.

There's always a certain amount of luck to be sure - from errant referee calls to the simple fact that the funny shaped ball can bounce in strange ways - but the teams that are healthy and peaking at the right time are the ones to be most concerned about.

And as of now we have no clue who those teams might be.

 

[RodThePat]

Some could say that this years Raven's defense is similar to the Ravens D of thier 2000 Championship Year.

That defense won the title and thier offense in 2000 was worse than this year's team....They won a title with Trent freaking Dilfer for Heaven's Sake

Don't discount the Ravens by last night's game....the Ravens and Packers seem to be the teams with the best chance to get to the SB at this point IMO.

The Pats could be dangerous if the D continues to improve.....it HAS to improve....and we also need continued balance of run and pass as well.

This isn't the same league as it was in 2000. Never mind the fact that Baltimore's defense this season isn't anywhere near what it was in their Super Bowl run, in today's NFL you absolutely HAVE to score points to win games. No matter how good your defense is, an above average offense with a capable QB is a good bet to put 24+ points on you every time out. The Ravens won't get anywhere with an offense that inept.

 

[juny]

Steelers, Jets, Ravens are the only teams in the AFC with a good enough defense to give the Pats trouble. It would be sweet to see the Pats this weekend and sweep the Jets later in the season.

I do like the Pats defense progressing. I hope this will be a special year.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Sad thing is, more I see of other teams, the better the Jets look.

Though they still scuk.

 

[r3pnit]

only teams that I wish we played in the regular season are the packers, ravens, or saints... so we can see how we would match up if we had to play them in the playoffs

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

we can beat pitt,,, its jets and baltimore.. the jets are michael myers they wont go away... baltimore defense is tough...

 

[Wides]

You can not defeat them.

 

[Mogamedogz]

As of THIS MOMENT... I do not have any faith what so ever that our boys could beat either GB or N.O.

The AFC is certainly wide open though.