ICE ICE BRADY (stop, collaborate & listen – this is a tremendous yoozer submishun from Richelle Sampson)
Ranking the Patriots Potential Playoff Opponents
Of the potential playoff contenders in the AFC, here’s there the order from team I think the Pats matchup best with all the way down to the team I least want to see.
- Jaguars – Brady might not have an incompletion if the Jaguars end up traveling to Foxboro. They’ve had a good season but there’s no way I can see David Garrard taking us down.
- Jets – We all saw what happened last time the Pats played the Jets. When you know a team as closely as BB knows the Jets it’s a lot easier to prepare for them. And we know the Pats would have no trouble getting uber motivated to crush the Jets again. I like this match-up and would feel really confident that Mark Sanchez would have another craptastic day.
- Chiefs – what an interesting match-up this would be! Cassel, Vrabel, Pioli, Crennel and Weis all return to New England to face BB and the Pats? The Chiefs are talented but away from home they’re a different team. Just for nostalgia factor alone I’m rooting for this game to happen. Also because I don’t think the Pats lose to the Chiefs in Foxboro.
- Steelers – It’s strange that every playoff game the Pats have played against the Steelers in the last decade have been in Pittsburgh. But I stick with the notion that the Patriots just know how to beat the Steelers when it counts most. It will just come down to execution.
- Colts – Peyton Manning always scares me. He makes defenses look stupid and Patriots fans everywhere were probably at least 90% sure we were headed to overtime before James Sanders got that interception. The Colts have holes but they know how to play the Patriots and would surely give us a run for the money. Ultimately it would come down to whose defense got that critical stop just like it did in November.
- Ravens – I’m not sure Joe Flacco has that “it” factor just yet. In the game against the Pats he went cold when they needed him most, and anyone who saw last night’s game against the Texans knows their defense is not the shutdown elite one it once was. But if the Ravens can peak they’ll be dangerous, and their three veteran wide receivers could be match up problems. Top to bottom probably the most talented team in the AFC, they just don’t have the qb… yet.
- Chargers – number one offense and number one defense. Yes the Patriots beat them once but that was without Vincent Jackson and it came down to the final play. The Pats would definitely have a big advantage in the cold outdoors of Foxboro. The crazy part is that if the playoffs started today they wouldn’t even be in.
A Four Pack of Must-Read Patriots Articles
First we start off with Tom E. Curran’s Patriots go from rebuilding to remarkable. I love when the TEC drops some Patriots positivity on us instead of awkward hand gestures.
Next we have another gem from Mike Lombardi which goes into how the Patriots evolved this off-season and an in depth look at Bill Belichick’s bad weather game philosophy.
Tedy Bruschi is developing a man crush on Devin McCourty, and must be having a hard time containing his homerism while doing ESPN appearances.
Finally we have an excerpt from Peter King where he talks about how the last four seasons have basically proven that the charade known as Spygate didn’t really give the Patriots any kind of an advantage.
New England’s gone from winning two-thirds of its games with the benefit of taping illegally, to winning three-quarters of its games and scoring six points more per game without taping – and with so many new pieces on offense.
Look, the last thing I’m going to do is start dredging up all the Spygate baloney again but finally we can point to some stats when the morons who think the only reason the Pats ever won a game was because they were taping defensive signals start yapping again.
Pick Up This Must-Own Tom Brady Shirt for Christmas!
If you’ve been wondering how the Patriots have been so good this year, the secret is here. Just after the Browns game I got one of these beauties and the Pats haven’t lost since, while Brady has put together an amazing MVP-caliber performance.
Of course I’ve followed the strict rules of only wearing it on game days and in conjunction with my white Brady authentic jersey, and it still has yet to be washed. But don’t worry, even if you already have your game day schwag set the addition of this t-shirt won’t screw anything up.
I can also personally attest that when you wear it out in public people will say “that shirt is awesome”. Who doesn’t love compliments??
So if you’re looking for the perfect Patriots gift for yourself or a fellow Pats fan I suggest you pick one up. They’re only $12! The more of us that wear them the better the chances of the Patriots winning the Super Bowl So do your part!
Patriots CB @DMcCourty32 had an MRI today on his ribs, but it’s not clear how serious it is just yet. He did play after he was injured, tho
Ian Rapoport via Twitter
https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-cb-dmccourty32-had-an-mri-today-on-his/
Playoff Picture Coming Into Focus
If you’re looking for a great place to break down the playoff picture I recommend you head over to NFL.com standings page. Weirdest thing about this weekend is that if the Jets beat the Steelers it ensures the AFC East winner will get the #1 overall seed. In that case the Patriots would still need to win a couple games to seal the division up. If Pittsburgh wins the hunt for the #1 overall seed continues but the Patriots would effectively clinch the division, assuming they don’t have a sudden 3 game meltdown.
Patriots Defensive Observations
Some notes and such on the Patriots defense following the re-watch of the Bears game.
– Jarrad Page was out there a lot, over Brandon Meriweather in some cases. Once Devin McCourty was lost half way through the second quarter there was some juggling so it’s hard to say exactly what the depth chart situation is. But it’s clear that the coaches like Page and he’s getting more and more play time every week. He did have a blown coverage and missed tackle in the second half, but pretty much any defender who played a lot in those conditions did as well.
– Maybe Meriweather just doesn’t play well in the cold? Sounds stupid but his reduction in playing time was definitely notable as he had re-emerged as an every down player as of late.
– Patrick Chung had more time in the slot but seemed to do a better job than he had in the last few games. He was reacting quick and getting to the ball. He should be back to 100% by the playoffs.
– There were times when the Patriots had 4 safeties on the field. Clearly they need to get healthy at cornerback.
– Early reports via Gresh and Zo were that Devin McCourty wouldn’t miss a game with his rib injury. It looked like the injury happened on the play where he forced the fumble. Didn’t look like a major collision or anything. If it’s anything serious I’d be pretty surprised, would have to be a freak thing in that case, and it sounds like McCourty isn’t the kind of player who suffers freak injuries.
– Ron Brace saw time at nose tackle for the first time this season and looked fast and strong off the ball. He also got some time as an interior rusher next to Vince Wilfork. With Myron Pryor and Mike Wright out Brace got a chance to do some pass rushing, in the past it had been Kyle Love and Gerard Warren doing it so it’s a positive sign that Brace is improving. You can never have too many big strong defensive lineman, and with Brace playing well it really bodes well for the future.
– Kyle Arrington had a very solid game against the Bears, might come down to him or Dan Connolly for the 12th man award.
– As I kind of expected the lack of Brandon Spikes didn’t really mean much for Dane Fletcher. Fletcher has been primarily a passing down linebacker, and it looks like Eric Moore showed enough in his first week to get some looks as the designated pass rusher opposite Tully Banta-Cain in nickel and dime packages. Moore made some good plays, so I expect we’ll see more of him. If he can bring some consistent pass rush it would be a great addition.
– The Patriots lost their top sack player (Mike Wright) and haven’t lost a game. Pretty impressive considering how much people bag on our pass rush. When he/Pryor get back it should give the defense even more of a boost, especially because their legs should be fresh.
– Great day for Gary Guyton. If had been since the opener versus the Bengals when he last made a big play and in this game he made two. Hopefully he can continue to ascend. Given it’s his third year he really should be starting to hit his stride.
