Waking up to another vacation day, with the Pats locking up homefield advantage and the best overall record in the NFL once again, well, it doesn’t get much better than this. In a way, the season is over and it’s been a successful one, on the level with the best seasons of Bill Belichick’s tenure.
I truly feel the Patriots have as good a shot at the Super Bowl this year as they’ve had. That excites me and scares me.
There will be plenty of time to worry though. For now, let’s wrap up some remaining thoughts from the Jets game. I expected that to be a tough game, but I didn’t think the Pats’ offense would look quite as bad as it did.
Sure, Rex has almost always given Brady problems and the Jets front four are definitely good and Dan Connolly was out, but still… it’s a little unnerving to see them be so ineffective. Their 231 yards was the lowest output of the season.
More on that and all the other takeaways in the Posits:
It was a pretty solid day for the defense, at least when it mattered. They seemed to be playing a little more zone as they’ve done the past two weeks, and without much pass rush, Geno was picking us apart for a good deal of the game.
But the Pats’ defense came through in the clutch, with another great performance (0-3) in the red zone. The Pats are 6th overall in opponent red zone TD percentage, and the best team in the league over the last three games.
They’re 16th overall in third down defense, but 5th in the last three games. So yes, it would seem the Pats’ defense is playing its best ball at the right time of year in the critical situations.
As for the offense, it’s understandable that there are some concerns but the offensive line isn’t a bigger problem to me now than it’s been all this season.
The struggles against the Jets were mostly communication, which is somewhat understandable with the Jets’ complicated blitzes and the inexperience at left guard and center. Connolly hasn’t been great physically, but he does ensure everyone will be on the same page and that is worth a lot.
This season has been a turning point for me, because I’ve ignored special teams too much. They’ve been one of the Patriots’ biggest strengths but I haven’t written enough about them. You look at the games the Pats have won by a thin margin and almost always it was a big special teams play, or even just consistency in the kicking game, that has made a big difference.
There’s no question – the Patriots are incredibly hard to beat at home, and their excellent road play this year has only helped prepare them to win the only road game they could possibly still play – the Super Bowl in Arizona.
I can’t quite wrap my brain around returning to the site of Super Bowl 42. The memory of that game is still burned in my brain and I can’t see that stadium without flashing to David Tyree. While it would be nice to have a shot to rewrite those memories, it’s a little scary too.
After last night, I sure don’t feel as scared of the Broncos as I once was. I don’t want to jump on the “Manning’s lost it” bandwagon, but I think Denver could struggle to get out of the first round, especially if the weather is bad.
We know the Pats can beat any time in the AFC at Gillette Stadium. As for the NFC, let’s just hope it’s a bloodbath.
Look for the Pats to do some resting of players this week against Buffalo. But I’d like to see the offensive line get their house in order against one of the best DLs in the NFL in the Bills.
Here’s to a great regular season! If you only determine your football satisfaction by how the team does in the playoffs you’re almost never going to be satisfied. But this regular season was incredibly satisfying. There were ups and downs, but as the season progressed we saw some of the best all-around football we’ve ever seen in New England.
There doesn’t seem to be that one critical flaw this year like in recent years past – the one thing the Pats were able to hide all year that could come back to bite them in January or February. They have their weaknesses in small specific areas, but this is a balanced team that can beat you any number of ways.
As a defense guy, just getting to watch a defense that can win games again was incredibly satisfying. They’ll have to keep it up in the playoffs, but for now we can relish another superlative season.