New England Patriots thread (MOD WARNING - #4503)

BKWDR

I asked the same question i think this time last year, albeit we are in a more advantageous position now but looking at the remainder of the schedule who do we think might take the wheels of this great run?

@Green Bay (defo a game that could be lost, although with most teams not liking the cold in lambeau. Just looked up and we are 5-4 in regular season against the Packers and coming off our streak, it could be a tight one!)
@ San Diego (have a tough schedule to finish so i think this could be ours for the taking)
Dolphins (In Foxboro i don't think it will be like last Decembers game, a W for sure)
@Jets (nothing but W)
Bills (W all the way...)


Problem is the Chargers and the Dolphins are in the hunt for post season football so could be making a push.

Finish 13-3?

bruschi

BKWDR wrote: »

I asked the same question i think this time last year, albeit we are in a more advantageous position now but looking at the remainder of the schedule who do we think might take the wheels of this great run?

@Green Bay (defo a game that could be lost, although with most teams not liking the cold in lambeau. Just looked up and we are 5-4 in regular season against the Packers and coming off our streak, it could be a tight one!)
@ San Diego (have a tough schedule to finish so i think this could be ours for the taking)
Dolphins (In Foxboro i don't think it will be like last Decembers game, a W for sure)
@Jets (nothing but W)
Bills (W all the way...)


Problem is the Chargers and the Dolphins are in the hunt for post season football so could be making a push.

Finish 13-3?

yeah 13-3 would be great, and guaranteed top seed. I think Denver will drop another game too, so that will give us another bit of breathing space if did did drop 2 games.

Its a great position to be in, and to be honest, this is where I expected us to be around this stage. It may have come about after a poor start, but I'm more than happy about how the team is rolling right now. Just keep all the big names healthy into playoffs and I'll be very content.

kryogen

I am hoping we limit the number of losses to 1, I think we will lose on the run in, hoping to still have a good enough record to take the number 1 seed though, homefield advantage would be huge in the playoffs (obviously)

If we come through the rest of the games unbeaten I will really start to believe this team can get a ring

BKWDR

kryogen wrote: »

I am hoping we limit the number of losses to 1, I think we will lose on the run in, hoping to still have a good enough record to take the number 1 seed though, homefield advantage would be huge in the playoffs (obviously)

If we come through the rest of the games unbeaten I will really start to believe this team can get a ring

I have to say, from being so 'ah ****' earlier in September to actually feeling that we'll be watching this team in February...class.

Makes my trip for the Bills game all that special!

bruschi

BKWDR wrote: »

I have to say, from being so 'ah ****' earlier in September to actually feeling that we'll be watching this team in February...class.

Makes my trip for the Bills game all that special!

thats how I am too. At the start of the year, I was expecting good teams, a fit Gronk, Revis, a year under the belt of a few players, and then to see the dirge in Sepetember, and then back up to the peak again, its been a year of ups and downs. I just hope it stays on the up now for the remainder!

empacher

Id expect us to win at least 3 out of the 5 games remaining, I think we'll lose maybe to the packers and one of our division games possibly.

4-1 will guarantee us home field advantage.


I can also see the broncos losing to one of the chiefs, chargers, or bengals.

Possibly after losing the chiefs will come out and look to dominate the Broncos after losing to the riaders.

helimachoptor

its a pleasure to watch the patriots these days, next weeks game could really be a dress rehearsal for Feb and imo that would be awesome

Son Of A Vidic

BKWDR wrote: »

@Green Bay (defo a game that could be lost, although with most teams not liking the cold in lambeau. Just looked up and we are 5-4 in regular season against the Packers and coming off our streak, it could be a tight one!)

Our boys are well used to cold & bad weather and with Brady, the colder it gets the better he plays. Now throw in some strong winds and he'll raises his game even further. I think you're right though, it will be a close game and if we are to lose another game, this would be the one to lose since the Packers aren't in our Conference.

Hazys

The Patriots are 3 points underdogs against the Packers.

We were underdogs against the Bengals, Bills, Broncos & Colts...have the bookies learned nothing?

kryogen

Hazys wrote: »

The Patriots are 3 points underdogs against the Packers.

We were underdogs against the Bengals, Bills, Broncos & Colts...have the bookies learned nothing?

And long may it continue!

JaMarcusHustle

Packers run defence is pretty woeful. I'd be confident we can control the game and that Blount and Gray can dominate on the ground.

Hazys

I think we win too, not as easy as the past couple of weeks but we are certainly not even close to underdogs.

Who have the Packers played at that are good? The Sanchez led Eagles? They've played a lot of cupcake teams and barely beat them. The Packers aren't as good as their record suggests. Don't get me wrong, they have an explosive offense but so do the Lions and Colts supposedly and we shut them down but their Defense is average at best.

Hazys

BB on Raiola:

I’m sure there was a lot of frustration there from Raiola. That was obvious," he said. "He’s never beaten us. He had a tough day in there dealing with [Vince] Wilfork and [Dont’a] Hightower and those guys.

I’d say that was probably frustration. We saw a lot of that at the end of the game -- [Tahir] Whitehead on [LeGarrette] Blount’s touchdown, [C.J.] Mosley on the personal foul on the field goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObpcGNCU944

Son Of A Vidic

Yesterday was 14 years to the day when Brady played his first NFL game in a Pats uniform, when he played against the Lions. And yesterdays win against the Lions, gives us our 14th winning season since his reign began.

Lionbacker

Hazys wrote: »

BB on Raiola

To be honest, Raiola has always been a moron. Every year he's done something incredibly stupid.
Last year for example, before the packers game at Lambeau, he started throwing insults at a school marching band before the game even began. He had to later apologise & donated money to them after he was called out about it.
He just seems like a very unlikeable man.
Anyway this will probably be his last season in the NFL. His age, along with his poor play this year should see him retire after the current campaign.

UnitedIrishman

Hazys wrote: »

I think we win too, not as easy as the past couple of weeks but we are certainly not even close to underdogs.

Who have the Packers played at that are good? The Sanchez led Eagles? They've played a lot of cupcake teams and barely beat them. The Packers aren't as good as their record suggests. Don't get me wrong, they have an explosive offense but so do the Lions and Colts supposedly and we shut them down but their Defense is average at best.

I'm happy enough for us to beat cupcake teams until the playoffs arrive. Also, barely beating them? We won by 30 odd points in the two games before the Vikings. We've won 5 games by more than 20 points this year. Winning on the road to Miami was about the best result of our year but we have an easy enough schedule due to how bad the NFC South is this year (Saints win against us was mostly due to AR getting injured and some horrible reffing).

That said, if I was a neutral betting on the game I'd be all over the Pats. As Billy says, our defence is terrible against top QB's. Thankfully Brady isn't mobile or we'd be definitely shafted. Hope it turns into a shootout and we end up the right side of it. We'll definitely know more about our chances after this weekend anyways.

eagle eye

I think some of you are underrating the Packers. They are an excellent organisation and personally I'm of the opinion that this game, all things going as they are now, will be the first of two games between us this season. Tbh I wouldn't at all mind a soft showing here because I'd hate to give them a dress rehearsal of what they can expect to see in February.

SantryRed

Hazys wrote: »

I think we win too, not as easy as the past couple of weeks but we are certainly not even close to underdogs.

Who have the Packers played at that are good? The Sanchez led Eagles? They've played a lot of cupcake teams and barely beat them. The Packers aren't as good as their record suggests. Don't get me wrong, they have an explosive offense but so do the Lions and Colts supposedly and we shut them down but their Defense is average at best.

You're not really being called underdogs though. The bookies are basically saying that these two teams are even, and the 3 points is due to home advantage, so if it was in a neutral place, for example Phoenix , it would be scratch.

I really think we'll be seeing the Superbowl rehearsal in Lambeau this Sunday.

Son Of A Vidic

I always thought the Lions fame would be our toughest defense to face all year. So I wasn't surprised when the game came around and the Lions D were the top ranked defense in the league. I wouldn't have been surprised if we had of scored less than 20 points, because the Lions have only been allowing an average of 15.6 points per game. So to score 34 points and with our offense still not reaching top gear, well that's pretty impressive. Once again, the O line did very good job yesterday.

The defense had a very good day and was excellent overall. The improvement in Chung and Arrington continues to impress. New boy Branch is doing a great job with Vince plugging the middle and our run defense has seriously improved. Hightower has been immense as our defensive QB with Mayo gone and I often think he gets overlooked for praise.

paulie21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHvPQu2QczM&spfreload=10

2 legends reminisce

j8wk2feszrnpao

@AdamSchefter
"Since 2010, in the 2nd half of its regular-season schedule, New England is now an NFL-best 32-3"

How crazy a stat is that? Incredible record.

cosatron

Really looking forward to this. last time we played was a good game in Foxboro with Flynn at Q.B and Dan Connolly had the big run which made a huge difference. Some really interesting matchups, Nelson-revis, cobb-browner, I presume we will put Matthews on gronk cause AJ Hawk sucks, wilfork will test our o-line which has been playing well. I think whoever has the ball last will win and hoping for a shoot out.

j8wk2feszrnpao

cosatron wrote: »

Dan Connolly had the big run which made a huge difference.

cosatron wrote: »

Some really interesting matchups, Nelson-revis, cobb-browner, I presume we will put Matthews on gronk cause AJ Hawk sucks, wilfork will test our o-line which has been playing well. I think whoever has the ball last will win and hoping for a shoot out.

It should be a shootout with possibly the two best offences on display.
Gronk can beat anyone one-on-one, it may need more than Matthews to stop him.
Green Bay are 30th against the run, so we might see a lot of Blount and Gray with Vereen mixed in.
Nelson and Cobb are excellent, and with Rodgers at QB it'll be a really tough examination. I agree with your likely matchups and suspect Browner will need the safety help.
If the Pats 4 man DL can stop the run like they did against the Lions, then they can add further help in the secondary; it'll be needed against the GB passing offence.

Hazys

cosatron wrote: »

Really looking forward to this. last time we played was a good game in Foxboro with Flynn at Q.B and Dan Connolly had the big run which made a huge difference. Some really interesting matchups, Nelson-revis, cobb-browner, I presume we will put Matthews on gronk cause AJ Hawk sucks, wilfork will test our o-line which has been playing well. I think whoever has the ball last will win and hoping for a shoot out.

I think it will be mostly Revis on Cobb and Browner on Nelson with Safety help just because Cobb is faster and Nelson is a little slower but bigger.

eagle eye

Ayers has turned into another great signing by the Patriots. He is one of the key men on Sunday. Rodgers cannot be allowed all day to deliver or he will kill us, if Ayers can get to him a couple of times we will win this one.

Son Of A Vidic

eagle eye wrote: »

Ayers has turned into another great signing by the Patriots. He is one of the key men on Sunday. Rodgers cannot be allowed all day to deliver or he will kill us, if Ayers can get to him a couple of times we will win this one.

Spot on Eagle, I was just thinking I probably should have mentioned him in my post the other day and then I read your post. Ayers has done very well since he arrived and Bill really has shown the Midas touch when it comes to FA.

me89

Slater gets a new 2 year deal worth 4 million. Well deserved, one of the best special team players in the league.

Son Of A Vidic

me89 wrote: »

Slater gets a new 2 year deal worth 4 million. Well deserved, one of for the best special team player in the league.

Fyp.:)

Hazys

Every week, BB just crushes the media when they are looking for some pointless sound bite

When asked if he sees any similarities between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, Belichick was quick with the response.

"They both wear number 12," he deadpanned, before walking off.

TO.

If we play smart on Sunday we will win. It's all about jamming up as many options as we can for Rodgers. I expect Browner, Arrington and Revis to rotate around Cobb and Nelson obviously depending on the front the Packers give us. Just like we did with Detroit.

Killing their run game will be key also. Idealy we want to force their offense into a situation of throwing football after football.

Also one thing we need to stop is Rodgers leaving the pocket on 3rd down. Not letting those chains move when he decides to run with it. His speed is underated and he quite able to skin us for some cheap 1st downs.