Where was this Patriots team all year?

[Kontradiction]

They've been playing great at home all year. But they haven't been good whatsoever on the road. I don't get it either. It's not as if Jacksonville, Detroit, Tennessee, & Miami are known for having a great hfa. But they can get it all right next week.

None of that is going to matter in the least if they play great on the road this week. That's the only stat that any of us, and the team, needs to care about right now.

 

[edkk323]

so...I'm not the only one on this board who isn't holding back when I say I want to smash him right in the snotbox and watch him turtle like the little girl trapped in a man's body that he is?

thank you for voicing what many grown men think of this weasely little NY dirtbag...

Considering what his snothbox had been to, I would not be touching him with a ten-foot pole.

 

[zoostation]

White was conserved alot imo. The times he was featured like this our offense looked similarly smooth.

Brady knee might have been a bit banged up, healthy now.

Team clearly had poor focus against lesser opponents, now its do or die and they are dialed in.

Other little things, it all adds up

^
This - It was reported TB suffered a sprained MCL.

 

[Soliel]

They’ve been waiting to embarrass maxi boi again. Saw his rap vid. Left a bet for him. We win the Super Bowl this year max has to rap battle Eminem. We lose, I’ll guitar battle Yngwie Malmsteen

 

[captain stone]

Where was this Patriots team all year?

Same place it has always been all year.

Brave & bad-ass at home...gutless & chicken-shyte on the road.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Just waiting for BB & Brady to say, "Release the Kraken!"

I'm thinking they are all just healthy and executed a phenomenal game plan.

 

[SBLIII]

Where was this Patriots team all year?

Same place it has always been all year.

Brave & bad-ass at home...gutless & chicken-shyte on the road.

Need 1 single great road game this year to reach the goals. Lets see if we can do it.

 

[Steve102]

They look like the best team in the NFL. They look like the 2007 Pats

Settle. Down.

The 2007 team rolled thru everyone until the end. This team has played one good half when it mattered. Let's not hand them the Lombardi just yet. Lots of football to play.

 

[Lavictoire]

Chargers are a joke.

KC will be a dogfight.

I knew someone would minimize the win. I posted during the week running up to the game that the consensus was the Pats had a tough game coming up with the Chargers and that if we won people would say the Chargers weren’t that good anyway.

 

[Kontradiction]

Settle. Down.

The 2007 team rolled thru everyone until the end. This team has played one good half when it mattered. Let's not hand them the Lombardi just yet. Lots of football to play.

I haven't held back my criticism of this team this season, but they clearly took their foot off the accelerator and traded time for production at the end of the game. This was a complete game by them, IMO. The Jets game was, too (although that was with a team that never really got off the bus).

 

[jah]

Settle. Down.

The 2007 team rolled thru everyone until the end. This team has played one good half when it mattered. Let's not hand them the Lombardi just yet. Lots of football to play.

I agree with your overall point but the 2007 team clearly lost steam toward the end of the season, almost blowing it to mediocre teams like Baltimore and Philly.

 

[tasmlab]

Need 1 single great road game this year to reach the goals. Lets see if we can do it.

I think two great road games would work better IMO.

 

[gitgronked82]

I think two great road games would work better IMO.

If NO makes it, I wonder if it would feel like a road game in atl

Ps how much will the people of atl HATE hosting the saints in the super bowl. Ouch

 

[Steve102]

I haven't held back my criticism of this team this season, but they clearly took their foot off the accelerator and traded time for production at the end of the game. This was a complete game by them, IMO. The Jets game was, too (although that was with a team that never really got off the bus).

They definitely traded clock for points with the Chargers. I would have loved to see them keep it going. I think is wasn't a full, complete game by design. I think they could have put 80 on the Charger, if they needed to.

 

[Le Numéro Douze]

They definitely traded clock for points with the Chargers. I would have loved to see them keep it going. I think is wasn't a full, complete game by design. I think they could have put 80 on the Charger, if they needed to.

Let's put 80 in the Chiefs instead. We might not as many points hehe

 

[Hyped]

Looking at the 2018 season:

- We had three "close wins" at home over the Texans ( 7 point margin in week 1) ,the Chiefs (3 point margin in week 6), and @ Chicago (7 point margin in week 7). And one could argue that these margins were made closer by a 4th quarter surge in scoring.

- Otherwise, in all of our other 9 wins including the Charger playoff game...we won by a margin of at least 12 points.

- Then there are the 5 road losses:

@JAX week 2: Lost by 11....we were still in the game midway thru the 3rd before wilting in the heat. I attribute it to early season struggles.

@DET week 3: Lost by 16....we were still in the game at the half...but simply didn't play a good game and lost. I attribute it to early season struggles plus facing our former coordinator.

@TEN week 10: Lost by 24...this one concerns me the most because we simply showed up FLAT...and go thoroughly outclassed that day. Must have been looking ahead to the BYE.

@Mia week 14: Lost by 1...the defense blew it by allowing the Fish to score 28 prior to that fateful play, IMO. Limit one of those TD's to a figgie..and we have HFA.

@PIT week 15: Lost by 7. The offense only put up 10 points! And 7 on a big play on the first 2-3 offensive snaps. We played at least 50 more minutes and only put up 3....yet...we were one stupid Brady throw away and a stalled drive away from tying that one up...oh well.

=======================

Hard to say where this team was all year....the only thing that concerns me was the lack of concentration down in Tennessee. I can live with things like @Mia/@PIT as well as the early season struggles. I am scared of another@TEN performance....this team plays well when they are consistent in everything....unsure how this team plays if they get punched in the mouth again which they probably will in KC in the 1st quarter...

 

[maineman209]

Looking at the 2018 season:

- We had three "close wins" at home over the Texans ( 7 point margin in week 1) ,the Chiefs (3 point margin in week 6), and @ Chicago (7 point margin in week 7). And one could argue that these margins were made closer by a 4th quarter surge in scoring.

- Otherwise, in all of our other 9 wins including the Charger playoff game...we won by a margin of at least 12 points.

- Then there are the 5 road losses:

@JAX week 2: Lost by 11....we were still in the game midway thru the 3rd before wilting in the heat. I attribute it to early season struggles.

@DET week 3: Lost by 16....we were still in the game at the half...but simply didn't play a good game and lost. I attribute it to early season struggles plus facing our former coordinator.

@TEN week 10: Lost by 24...this one concerns me the most because we simply showed up FLAT...and go thoroughly outclassed that day. Must have been looking ahead to the BYE.

@Mia week 14: Lost by 1...the defense blew it by allowing the Fish to score 28 prior to that fateful play, IMO. Limit one of those TD's to a figgie..and we have HFA.

@PIT week 15: Lost by 7. The offense only put up 10 points! And 7 on a big play on the first 2-3 offensive snaps. We played at least 50 more minutes and only put up 3....yet...we were one stupid Brady throw away and a stalled drive away from tying that one up...oh well.

=======================

Hard to say where this team was all year....the only thing that concerns me was the lack of concentration down in Tennessee. I can live with things like @Mia/@PIT as well as the early season struggles. I am scared of another@TEN performance....this team plays well when they are consistent in everything....unsure how this team plays if they get punched in the mouth again which they probably will in KC in the 1st quarter...

I think it's really helpful to consider the injury/inactives reports and the state of the roster when analyzing some of those losses - not as an excuse, but to add some context.

WK-2 @JAX:
- The Pats had only three WRs to dress - Hogan, Dorsett & Patterson
- Hill was already gone to IR. Burkhead left with a concussion after 15 snaps. Michel was playing in his first NFL game, and coming off his knee injury from Camp.
- Cannon was OUT with a calf injury; Waddle started at RT.
- Flowers left after 7 snaps with a concussion.
- Chung missed the second half with a concussion.

WK-3 @DET:
- The Pats STILL had only three WRs to dress - Hogan, Dorsett & Patterson
- Even Hollister was OUT (chest injury)
- Burkhead lasted 7 snaps before going out with the neck injury that put him on IR.
- Cannon lasted into Q3 before being replaced by Waddle
- Flowers and Chung were both OUT (concussions)

WK-10 @TEN:
- Trent Brown had missed most of the week's practices with an illness (Q/gtd), and only played about half the game; Waddle filled in.
- Mason was OUT for the second straight week (calf injury); Karras filled in.
- Gronk was OUT for the second straight week (ankle/back issues). Hollister was Q/gtd with his hammy issue. D.Allen left early with a knee injury that ended up keeping him out thru wk-14.
- Sony Michel, also Q/gtd, was limited to 17 snaps in his first game back since @CHI (knee issue), leaving White as the only active RB the rest of the game.
- Hightower (knee) was also Q/gtd.