Why it matters how the Pats win on Sunday

[tasmlab]

I don't see how it makes a difference "how they win". The gameplan for the Steelers and then the hypothetical Superbowl (not to look ahead) will likely be different, knowing BB. And it's not like the roster can be changed anyways.

If they win well with good defense, it might make a good predictor for how they will play later, but I don't think much else.

IMO.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

And, interestingly enough, the years we won the SB? We struggled in divisional games most often. 01 in the snow, 03 freezing game vs Tennessee, and 14 vs. Baltimore.

in 3 of the 4 divisional games there was controversy too; '01 tuck, '04 polian whining, and '14 harbawling. Only '03 was a struggle without controversy...

 

[sambam94]

atl or Gb will not be able to stop Brady and the Pats from scoring..doesn't matter if it takes them longer, a TD is a TD.

 

[mosi]

I would like to see the Pats win by scoring more points then the steelers. If they can't do that, it will be bad luck for the Super Bowl.

 

[Ring 6]

Just a take I have. It is not only vital that the Patriots win but also vital how they win. So how do they need to win? They need to win with a good game overall but particularly show up on defense.

Lets be real. Pitt is a good offense but Right now GB and Atlanta are the next level up. Pitt can get hot at times but they are a 2 man show. If the Pats win this game but have to win a shoot out to do it what does that say about their chances in the superbowl?

I know Pitt is more balanced than Atlanta/GB but that is besides the Point. If the Pats D shows it can not handle Big Ben when he is on the road then likely in a dome it will get lit up by GB or Atlanta and now we are in a shootout with what is likely the weaker offense overall. That is not a good situation to be in vs those teams.

This is not to say one game transfers over to the next or the Pats can't win. But I would say depending on how this D does on Sunday and if they win it will tell us a bit about what we can hope to accomplish 2 weeks from then.

To me the red line is 24. I'd like to see under 21 though. If they do that they can probably hold GB/Atlanta to 30 and that gives the Pats a good chance to win that game.

They need to win by scoring at least 1 more point than Pittsburgh.
Aside from losing players to injury that is all that matters.

This game has no impact in the next one.

What you are saying is what would make you feel confident not what matters.

 

[bormio]

atl or Gb will not be able to stop Brady and the Pats from scoring..doesn't matter if it takes them longer, a TD is a TD.

GB is banged up, but I think people are underselling the Atlanta D. They have some talented players and have played better lately. They held Seattle at bay when the game was in doubt. They also are coached by Quinn, who built the Seattle D. Too much reliance on top line numbers causes people to dismiss them totally. And they probably do not have to hold us under 21 points in order to win.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Steelers D is playing well. I would expect a close game 20-17, 24-12. Both defenses should excel.

 

[bormio]

Maybe I am all wet, but not really fearful of this game. Pats' offense did not play great last week but there were whole chunks of offense we did not use. No Blount, Amendola, little White, Bennett - and Mitchell was on the shelf. Showed them little. Their offensive personnel are limited - too much runs through Bell and Brown and we eat that up. We have been tackling well. Their OL is good, but nothing we have not dealt with. A double digit win is very possible.

 

[deroc5050]

Maybe I am all wet, but not really fearful of this game. Pats' offense did not play great last week but there were whole chunks of offense we did not use. No Blount, Amendola, little White, Bennett - and Mitchell was on the shelf. Showed them little. Their offensive personnel are limited - too much runs through Bell and Brown and we eat that up. We have been tackling well. Their OL is good, but nothing we have not dealt with. A double digit win is very possible.

A double digit win is possible of course. I see the Patriots leading 34-17 in the 4th quarter and end up winning 34-24.. or 34-27.

I just hope the Pats don't fall behind multiple scores.

 

[Guts]

A double digit win is possible of course. I see the Patriots leading 34-17 in the 4th quarter and end up winning 34-24.. or 34-27.

I just hope the Pats don't fall behind multiple scores.

Agreed. If Pats had Gronk I would say even two scores down we would still have a shot. With no Gronk? Gotta make sure if we are down its within a score. Of course you can never really count TB12 out though no matter what the circumstance.

 

[drewskie]

Lots of interesting stats out there. There's Dion's record when he's active, and in our 4 SB victories, we've beaten either Indy or Pittsburgh in the AFCC.

 

[nabwong]

GB is banged up, but I think people are underselling the Atlanta D. They have some talented players and have played better lately. They held Seattle at bay when the game was in doubt. They also are coached by Quinn, who built the Seattle D. Too much reliance on top line numbers causes people to dismiss them totally. And they probably do not have to hold us under 21 points in order to win.

Difficult to sell something that is worthless.

 

[venecol]

I don't care if they end up tied and win by the flip of a coin. But seriously, it would be nice for the D to hold Bs to under 20 pts. so we can stop hearing all the nonsense about who the pats didn't play.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The hype for the Houston game taught me never to be satisfied until we put more YARDS on the scoreboard than the other team does.

 

[supafly]

No Tomlin whining like the ***** he is is cool. I mean something like winning on a really bad call.

Oh, man. I think winning on a really bad call would be hilarious. Lord knows we've certainly lost big games in that fashion, even postseason games. I couldn't imagine the whining ***** Steeler fans.

I thought you meant like another full blown controversy.

 

[Danger Zone]

The Steelers "scare" me the least of the Chiefs, Seahawks, Packers or Falcons though probably a little more than my impression of this year's Giants.

That said while I certainly expect to win it's by no means a sure thing. The Steelers certainly have the ability to beat us.

 

[Danger Zone]

Oh, man. I think winning on a really bad call would be hilarious. Lord knows we've certainly lost big games in that fashion, even postseason games. I couldn't imagine the whining ***** Steeler fans.

I thought you meant like another full blown controversy.

Imagine if we win on a bad call AND there were headset issue

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

I am worried about this game... I have a feeling we will lose.

 

[deroc5050]

It matters because my blood pressure will be 30 points higher if the Pats are behind or leading by less than 7 points. And if the game is back and forth, 8 lead changes and heading to the 2:00 minute warning in the 4th quarter with a 4 point lead and the Steelers have the ball at the Steelers 25 yard line.. I am gonna be struggling.

Unless I am drinking lots of beer. Then I will just be jumping up and down and screaming.

 

[supafly]

Imagine if we win on a bad call AND there were headset issue

While it sounds okay to me since it has the word "winning" in the sentence, the headset thing would suck with the attention it would get.

I wouldn't be shocked to see Tomlin and some players resort to tattletale and boogeyman theories again, should they lose. If those headsets as much as give off an echo or a millisecond of static they're going to freak out and go public, blaming anything they can think of.