The Magic Number is 1!
Look for that exclamation point to to disappear if the Pats can't clinch the division with a win at home against the Jaguars on Sunday.
The goal for the next two weeks has to be, in Tom Brady's own words, "Finding some consistency" on offense. In the five games when the offense has been stellar, the Pats have looked like the sure winners of Superbowl XLVI.
And believe it or not, New England is now tied for the fourth best defense in the NFL.
The bottom line is that despite all the fan pessimism that has resulted from four really horrible losses this season, and only five really dominant wins, the Pats are still in a position to put it all together for a strong playoff run. There isn't a team in the conference that they cannot beat if they have all the parts working.
Really.
They can do it, but all cylinders need to be firing. I look at it this way. The defense has allowed 16.27 points per game on average. However, the offense has only scored 24.3 points per game. What they need to do is put up a couple of convincing two or three touchdown victories in the final two games to generate some good momentum going into January.
But first things first. Sewing up the division should look like this.
My prediction for week 16:
Pats: 31
Jags: 14
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Patriots Report: Week 15
Last week I predicted:
Pats: 28
Panthers: 14
The Result:
Pats: 20
Panthers: 10
Okay, it's not as accurate as I can sometimes be, but neither is Tom Brady, although I do like the symmetry.
I had to watch last week's game in one of those wonderfully awful British pubs we have on every block on 192 between downtown Kissimmee and Clermont. Of course, no one was watching the Dolphins-Jaguars. It wasn't even on one of the TVs. But there were about 10 other New England fans hanging on every play and occassionally glancing at New Orleans and Indy. One of the Bostonians made the brilliant remark that the Patriots are in effect "playing 'possum" until the very end of the season when they will suddenly turn on the gas and play like our mighty heroes of the unforgotten past.
And yes, we do have 'possums in New England, so this guy might know what he is talking about. We tend to call them "opossums," however, which is actually their real name. And no New Englander has ever eaten possum fritters. Believe it or not, you redneck. We also have lots of "crayfish" in our lakes and streams, but we don't eat those either. We use them for bait when fishing for large mouth bass. So if you are inside the 495 beltway, don't go talking about "smokin' some crawdads." People are liable to get the wrong idea.
The "playing 'possum" analogy is a nice thought that even I with my steely logic have succumbed to on occassion in thinking about Brady's on-and-off "comeback." Whenever I do, I have to remind myself that this is the NFL. It's not a 200 meter race where the best runner just has to keep pace and then turn it on in the final stretch. Anything can happen in December.
My Prediction for week 15:
Pats 35
Bills 9
The game against the Bills is a no-brainer. They have to win. They have to pull out all the stops. They have to win big. The defense can't turn it off toward the end. Randy Moss has to catch everything he can get his fingertips on.
The Jets play the undefeated Colts in two weeks. So there is little hope of this mediocre team winning all of their final three. So the Pats have a game to give against New York.
The biggest pitfall, I hate to say, is Miami. If the Dolphins lose on Sunday, it's over. But if both teams win, it puts the Patriots in a scenario in which dropping even with Miami means losing the division once again via tie breakers. If New England falls even with Miami by losing to the Bills, then the Pats lose the "games within the division" tie-breaker.
If they win against the Bills, they still have to finish a game ahead of Miami to win the division. Once week 15 is in the bag, New England plays Jacksonville and Houston. A loss to either Jacksonville at home in two weeks or at Houston would be a disaster.
Here's why.
DIVISION RECORD
Pats ----- 3 wins - 2 losses - 1 TBD at Bills
Dolphins - 4 wins - 2 losses
Here I am assuming both teams win this week. The Pats impove to 9-5 and the Dolphins 8-6. But that will put them even in division record at season's end.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Then look here! Last week the Pats beat Carolina and the Dolphins beat Jacksonville. Let's say both teams win again this week.
Pats ----- 7 wins - 3 losses - 2 TBD
Dolphins - 7 wins - 4 losses - 1 TBD
If the Pats split their last two games and Miami wins the last two, the two teams end up tied and move on to the next tie breaker.
CONFERENCE RECORD
This is assuming both teams win this Sunday and the Dolphins pick up a game on the Patriots to draw even in the last two weeks.
Pats ----- 7 wins - 5 losses
Dolphins - 8 wins - 4 losses
The Dolphins win the division!
CONCLUSION
The Pats have their proverbial destiny in their own hands. They have to win every game unless the Dolphins lose one. They can count on the Colts finishing off the Jets. But if they drop even with Miami, the Pats are cooked.
Pats: 28
Panthers: 14
The Result:
Pats: 20
Panthers: 10
Okay, it's not as accurate as I can sometimes be, but neither is Tom Brady, although I do like the symmetry.
I had to watch last week's game in one of those wonderfully awful British pubs we have on every block on 192 between downtown Kissimmee and Clermont. Of course, no one was watching the Dolphins-Jaguars. It wasn't even on one of the TVs. But there were about 10 other New England fans hanging on every play and occassionally glancing at New Orleans and Indy. One of the Bostonians made the brilliant remark that the Patriots are in effect "playing 'possum" until the very end of the season when they will suddenly turn on the gas and play like our mighty heroes of the unforgotten past.
And yes, we do have 'possums in New England, so this guy might know what he is talking about. We tend to call them "opossums," however, which is actually their real name. And no New Englander has ever eaten possum fritters. Believe it or not, you redneck. We also have lots of "crayfish" in our lakes and streams, but we don't eat those either. We use them for bait when fishing for large mouth bass. So if you are inside the 495 beltway, don't go talking about "smokin' some crawdads." People are liable to get the wrong idea.
The "playing 'possum" analogy is a nice thought that even I with my steely logic have succumbed to on occassion in thinking about Brady's on-and-off "comeback." Whenever I do, I have to remind myself that this is the NFL. It's not a 200 meter race where the best runner just has to keep pace and then turn it on in the final stretch. Anything can happen in December.
My Prediction for week 15:
Pats 35
Bills 9
The game against the Bills is a no-brainer. They have to win. They have to pull out all the stops. They have to win big. The defense can't turn it off toward the end. Randy Moss has to catch everything he can get his fingertips on.
The Jets play the undefeated Colts in two weeks. So there is little hope of this mediocre team winning all of their final three. So the Pats have a game to give against New York.
The biggest pitfall, I hate to say, is Miami. If the Dolphins lose on Sunday, it's over. But if both teams win, it puts the Patriots in a scenario in which dropping even with Miami means losing the division once again via tie breakers. If New England falls even with Miami by losing to the Bills, then the Pats lose the "games within the division" tie-breaker.
If they win against the Bills, they still have to finish a game ahead of Miami to win the division. Once week 15 is in the bag, New England plays Jacksonville and Houston. A loss to either Jacksonville at home in two weeks or at Houston would be a disaster.
Here's why.
DIVISION RECORD
Pats ----- 3 wins - 2 losses - 1 TBD at Bills
Dolphins - 4 wins - 2 losses
Here I am assuming both teams win this week. The Pats impove to 9-5 and the Dolphins 8-6. But that will put them even in division record at season's end.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Then look here! Last week the Pats beat Carolina and the Dolphins beat Jacksonville. Let's say both teams win again this week.
Pats ----- 7 wins - 3 losses - 2 TBD
Dolphins - 7 wins - 4 losses - 1 TBD
If the Pats split their last two games and Miami wins the last two, the two teams end up tied and move on to the next tie breaker.
CONFERENCE RECORD
This is assuming both teams win this Sunday and the Dolphins pick up a game on the Patriots to draw even in the last two weeks.
Pats ----- 7 wins - 5 losses
Dolphins - 8 wins - 4 losses
The Dolphins win the division!
CONCLUSION
The Pats have their proverbial destiny in their own hands. They have to win every game unless the Dolphins lose one. They can count on the Colts finishing off the Jets. But if they drop even with Miami, the Pats are cooked.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Patriots Report: Week 14 & 2009 AFC East Tie Breaker Scenarios
Simple:
Pats: 28
Panthers: 14
The Pats continue to be less than stellar, but put them in Foxboro where they are undefeated and it's a no-brainer.
2009 AFC East Tie Breaker Scenarios
Following the collapse of the Pats against a great team and a mediocre team, New England Fans need to assess the postseason scenario.
Win all four games and the Pats win the division with an outside (very outside) shot at the the number two seeding if they make up ground on four other teams and beat all the tie breaker scenarios.
A more likely scenario is the division and a resulting third or fourth seeding -- which makes no difference. New Englanders refuse to look at the Wild Card scenario while their team is still even one game ahead of the rest of the division. Red Sox fans do that, but not Patriots fans.
I think that neither the Jets nor the Dolphins are capable of going 4-0 for the rest of the season. The Jets have to play the undefeated Colts at Indianapolis. The Dolphins have to beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. In that case, the Pats look pretty safe even at 3-1.
Still with both the Jets and the Dolphins a game back, it's possible that further Patriots losses could force a tie or even a three-way tie.
Here are the tie breaker scenarios. I am not going to analyze a situation that has any other team except the Patriots tied for first place. There are far too many variables for that analysis and I simply won't care. I also won't analyze a still possible tie with the Bills. Not yet at least.
DIVISION RECORD
Pats ----- 3 wins - 2 losses - 1 TBD at Bills
Dolphins - 4 wins - 2 losses
Jets ----- 3 wins - 3 losses
If the Pats lose to the Bills and tie the Dolphins, the Pats' season is over. But if they beat the Bills, it goes to the next tie breaker.
If the Pats lose to the Bills and tie only with the Jets for the division lead, it goes to the next tie breaker.
COMMON OPPONENTS
This is trickier. But not too tricky for me. Divisional rivals play 12 games a year against common opponents. Here are common opponents based on the Patriots record only. I won't do a Jets-Dolphins head-to-head comparison here because I simply don't care.
Pats ----- 5 wins - 3 losses - 4 TBD
Dolphins - 5 wins - 4 losses - 3 TBD
Jets ----- 4 wins - 5 losses - 3 TBD
Pats-Dolphins - The Pats are a game ahead of the Dolphins at the moment in common opponents. A tie scenario assumes that the Pats win against the Bills, but drop at least one other game to a common opponent to put them even. Besides the Bills, all three remaining Patriot games are against common opponents. Assuming the Dolphins win all four of their remaining games, the Pats have to win against the Bills and go 2-1 in the other three games to force a tie breaker.
Pats-Jets - The Pats are two games ahead of the Jets in common opponents. Assuming the Jets win all their remaining games, then a tie scenario has New England going 2-2 against common opponents.
CONFERENCE RECORD
This is where it becomes nearly impossible to outline all the scenarios, but here are Pats head to head with the Dolphins and Jets. Each NFL team plays 12 games a year within their own conference.
Pats ----- 5 wins - 4 losses - 3 TBD
Dolphins - 4 wins - 4 losses - 4 TBD
Jets ----- 5 wins - 5 losses - 2 TBD
Here the Pats are a game up on the Dolphins in the win column. Again, the Pats can afford to lose one more than the Dolphins here to remain even. The Pats also are a game ahead of the Jets in the loss column. The same rule applies, but Jets are in a slightly worse position here than the other two teams especially since one of those games is against the undefeated Indiana Colts.
STRENGTH OF VICTORY
This is the total winning percentage of all opponents. Of course, it's impossible to know with four games to go. But let me say: I DID not KNOW that!
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Miami, NE and NY in that order. At least, I think so.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Essentially, back-to-back wins against two weak teams, the Panthers and the Bills, in the next two weeks puts the Patriots in very good shape. Couple that with a Miami loss to the Jaguars, and I may be in a position to call it by then.
Pats: 28
Panthers: 14
The Pats continue to be less than stellar, but put them in Foxboro where they are undefeated and it's a no-brainer.
2009 AFC East Tie Breaker Scenarios
Following the collapse of the Pats against a great team and a mediocre team, New England Fans need to assess the postseason scenario.
Win all four games and the Pats win the division with an outside (very outside) shot at the the number two seeding if they make up ground on four other teams and beat all the tie breaker scenarios.
A more likely scenario is the division and a resulting third or fourth seeding -- which makes no difference. New Englanders refuse to look at the Wild Card scenario while their team is still even one game ahead of the rest of the division. Red Sox fans do that, but not Patriots fans.
I think that neither the Jets nor the Dolphins are capable of going 4-0 for the rest of the season. The Jets have to play the undefeated Colts at Indianapolis. The Dolphins have to beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. In that case, the Pats look pretty safe even at 3-1.
Still with both the Jets and the Dolphins a game back, it's possible that further Patriots losses could force a tie or even a three-way tie.
Here are the tie breaker scenarios. I am not going to analyze a situation that has any other team except the Patriots tied for first place. There are far too many variables for that analysis and I simply won't care. I also won't analyze a still possible tie with the Bills. Not yet at least.
DIVISION RECORD
Pats ----- 3 wins - 2 losses - 1 TBD at Bills
Dolphins - 4 wins - 2 losses
Jets ----- 3 wins - 3 losses
If the Pats lose to the Bills and tie the Dolphins, the Pats' season is over. But if they beat the Bills, it goes to the next tie breaker.
If the Pats lose to the Bills and tie only with the Jets for the division lead, it goes to the next tie breaker.
COMMON OPPONENTS
This is trickier. But not too tricky for me. Divisional rivals play 12 games a year against common opponents. Here are common opponents based on the Patriots record only. I won't do a Jets-Dolphins head-to-head comparison here because I simply don't care.
Pats ----- 5 wins - 3 losses - 4 TBD
Dolphins - 5 wins - 4 losses - 3 TBD
Jets ----- 4 wins - 5 losses - 3 TBD
Pats-Dolphins - The Pats are a game ahead of the Dolphins at the moment in common opponents. A tie scenario assumes that the Pats win against the Bills, but drop at least one other game to a common opponent to put them even. Besides the Bills, all three remaining Patriot games are against common opponents. Assuming the Dolphins win all four of their remaining games, the Pats have to win against the Bills and go 2-1 in the other three games to force a tie breaker.
Pats-Jets - The Pats are two games ahead of the Jets in common opponents. Assuming the Jets win all their remaining games, then a tie scenario has New England going 2-2 against common opponents.
CONFERENCE RECORD
This is where it becomes nearly impossible to outline all the scenarios, but here are Pats head to head with the Dolphins and Jets. Each NFL team plays 12 games a year within their own conference.
Pats ----- 5 wins - 4 losses - 3 TBD
Dolphins - 4 wins - 4 losses - 4 TBD
Jets ----- 5 wins - 5 losses - 2 TBD
Here the Pats are a game up on the Dolphins in the win column. Again, the Pats can afford to lose one more than the Dolphins here to remain even. The Pats also are a game ahead of the Jets in the loss column. The same rule applies, but Jets are in a slightly worse position here than the other two teams especially since one of those games is against the undefeated Indiana Colts.
STRENGTH OF VICTORY
This is the total winning percentage of all opponents. Of course, it's impossible to know with four games to go. But let me say: I DID not KNOW that!
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Miami, NE and NY in that order. At least, I think so.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Essentially, back-to-back wins against two weak teams, the Panthers and the Bills, in the next two weeks puts the Patriots in very good shape. Couple that with a Miami loss to the Jaguars, and I may be in a position to call it by then.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Patriots Report: Week 13
It's 14-7 as I write this. I was going to predict Patriots 34 to Dolphins 10, so I am sticking to my original story. Really.
More analysis later ...
More analysis later ...
Friday, November 27, 2009
Patriots Report: Week 12
Last week's prediction
Pats 44
Jets 14
Final score
Pats 31
Jets 14
I thought the Pats would score 28 points prior to the second half. They scored 24. Are the Pats letting up in the second half? Are they saving themselves for the really tough opponents?
Monday Night Football has the Pats and the Saints. On paper the Saints look to be the best team in the NFL. In reality, the Saints are not as good as the Pats or the Colts. However, if they win this game, they will likely go 16-0 if they can get past Dallas.
The NFL could end up with two 16-0 teams!
Although it is obvious, I'll let my only commenter explain why a regular season mark of 16-0 is a certain kiss of death in the playoffs.
If the Pats win this game they have a shot at a bye. If they lose, they are are still looking to all but wrap-up the division the next week in Miami. It's not a meaningless game by far, but in the grand scheme of things, a loss is just one loss It doesn't mean much to either team's playoff hopes.
It's difficult to analyze how the two teams stack up. The Pats are by far the better defensive team. Only one other division leader's defense (San Diego) has performed more poorly than New Orleans.
The Saints look to be winners purely on their offensive numbers -- one that could challenge several of New England's 2007 records. But how much of this is a good team made to look like the greatest offensive team in history by their schedule?
The Patriots should win with the best defense the Saints will see all year -- second only to Indianapolis.
The odds makers are all over the map with this one. I predict the Pats by four points.
My Prediction
Pats 37
Saints 33
Pats 44
Jets 14
Final score
Pats 31
Jets 14
I thought the Pats would score 28 points prior to the second half. They scored 24. Are the Pats letting up in the second half? Are they saving themselves for the really tough opponents?
Monday Night Football has the Pats and the Saints. On paper the Saints look to be the best team in the NFL. In reality, the Saints are not as good as the Pats or the Colts. However, if they win this game, they will likely go 16-0 if they can get past Dallas.
The NFL could end up with two 16-0 teams!
Although it is obvious, I'll let my only commenter explain why a regular season mark of 16-0 is a certain kiss of death in the playoffs.
If the Pats win this game they have a shot at a bye. If they lose, they are are still looking to all but wrap-up the division the next week in Miami. It's not a meaningless game by far, but in the grand scheme of things, a loss is just one loss It doesn't mean much to either team's playoff hopes.
It's difficult to analyze how the two teams stack up. The Pats are by far the better defensive team. Only one other division leader's defense (San Diego) has performed more poorly than New Orleans.
The Saints look to be winners purely on their offensive numbers -- one that could challenge several of New England's 2007 records. But how much of this is a good team made to look like the greatest offensive team in history by their schedule?
The Patriots should win with the best defense the Saints will see all year -- second only to Indianapolis.
The odds makers are all over the map with this one. I predict the Pats by four points.
My Prediction
Pats 37
Saints 33
Thursday, November 26, 2009
It's Doug Flutie Day!
Not only is New England known for inventing Thanksgiving, but it's also known for Doug Flutie.
It was 25 years ago today (November 26th, 1984) that former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie threw the legendary Hail Mary pass to receiver Gerard Phelan (Yes, remember him? Great catch Gerard!) to give the Eagles a thrilling 47-45 last-second win over the University of Miami.
Flutie graduated from Natick High School the same year that I graduated from Framingham North. Just think, if I had actually played football in high school I could tell everyone that I played against Flutie every time the Hail Mary pass is mentioned. Too bad I didn't play football. It robs me of the opportunity to live in the shadow of a living legend.
It's only fitting though. I had no idea who Doug Flutie was until that pass. I didn't even watch the game. It would have been fun though to have been in an Irish Bar in Boston watching the last seconds of that game (as one of my roommates in college claims he in fact was).
Flutie says that a day hasn't gone by since 1984 when someone hasn't mentioned it to him at least once. Although many people think that the Hail Mary pass clinched the Heisman Trophy for Flutie, the voting was already completed before that game.
Flutie still lives in Natick where he has a special room in his house just to display his Heisman Trophy. A motion censor lights the trophy whenever anyone enters the room. I kid you not. While that might seem egomaniacal to some, you have to remember that ... well it is sort of egomaniacal, isn't it?
He went on to play backup quarterback for the Bears and the Patriots for five years (including the 1986 Bears team that beat the Patriots in the Superbowl). He left for the Canadian Football league where he, as a starting quarterback, set all kinds of records and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Finally, he ended up with the hated Buffalo Bills, but remained so popular in New England that Pats fans would cheer for him when he played in Foxborough.
Flutie led the Bills to a 10–5 record in 1999 but, in a controversial decision, was replaced by Rob Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips. The Bills have not appeared in a playoff game since and some say this is due to the "Flutie Curse."
He moved on to the Chargers and ended his career playing for the Patriots as the back-up quarterback to Tom Brady in 2005. During Flutie's career, the New England Patriots made it to the Super Bowl four times, but Flutie was not on any of those teams. What a travesty.
Other Trivia About Flutie
In his last season with the Patriots, a December 26, 2005 game against the Jets, Flutie was sent in late in the game. The Jets also sent in their back-up quarterback, Vinny Testaverde. This was the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 competed against each other (Testaverde was 42, Flutie was 43).
In the Patriots' regular-season finale against Miami on January 1, 2006, Flutie was sent in as the back-up quarterback for a seeming conversion play. Instead, Flutie successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point, something that had not been done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941. It was his last play in the NFL. For some strange reason I am more impressed with that than with the Hail Mary pass.
Although many people assume he is a New England born Irishman, he was actually born in Maryland to Lebanese parents. They moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida when he was six. They lived there until the space program slow-down in 1976 brought the family to Natick.
He plays drums in his brother's rock band -- the Flutie Brothers Band.
He played drums in the rock group Boston's tribute to their deceased drummer Brad Delp.
For years, the traffic congestion between Shpper''s World in Framingham and the Natick Mall was horrendous. No one understood why they couldn't just connect the two parking lots. The two towns could never agree on the zoning for some weird reason. When the Natick Mall was torn down and rebuilt, they built a road, "Flutie Pass."
It was 25 years ago today (November 26th, 1984) that former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie threw the legendary Hail Mary pass to receiver Gerard Phelan (Yes, remember him? Great catch Gerard!) to give the Eagles a thrilling 47-45 last-second win over the University of Miami.
Flutie graduated from Natick High School the same year that I graduated from Framingham North. Just think, if I had actually played football in high school I could tell everyone that I played against Flutie every time the Hail Mary pass is mentioned. Too bad I didn't play football. It robs me of the opportunity to live in the shadow of a living legend.
It's only fitting though. I had no idea who Doug Flutie was until that pass. I didn't even watch the game. It would have been fun though to have been in an Irish Bar in Boston watching the last seconds of that game (as one of my roommates in college claims he in fact was).
Flutie says that a day hasn't gone by since 1984 when someone hasn't mentioned it to him at least once. Although many people think that the Hail Mary pass clinched the Heisman Trophy for Flutie, the voting was already completed before that game.
Flutie still lives in Natick where he has a special room in his house just to display his Heisman Trophy. A motion censor lights the trophy whenever anyone enters the room. I kid you not. While that might seem egomaniacal to some, you have to remember that ... well it is sort of egomaniacal, isn't it?
He went on to play backup quarterback for the Bears and the Patriots for five years (including the 1986 Bears team that beat the Patriots in the Superbowl). He left for the Canadian Football league where he, as a starting quarterback, set all kinds of records and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Finally, he ended up with the hated Buffalo Bills, but remained so popular in New England that Pats fans would cheer for him when he played in Foxborough.
Flutie led the Bills to a 10–5 record in 1999 but, in a controversial decision, was replaced by Rob Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips. The Bills have not appeared in a playoff game since and some say this is due to the "Flutie Curse."
He moved on to the Chargers and ended his career playing for the Patriots as the back-up quarterback to Tom Brady in 2005. During Flutie's career, the New England Patriots made it to the Super Bowl four times, but Flutie was not on any of those teams. What a travesty.
Other Trivia About Flutie
In his last season with the Patriots, a December 26, 2005 game against the Jets, Flutie was sent in late in the game. The Jets also sent in their back-up quarterback, Vinny Testaverde. This was the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 competed against each other (Testaverde was 42, Flutie was 43).
In the Patriots' regular-season finale against Miami on January 1, 2006, Flutie was sent in as the back-up quarterback for a seeming conversion play. Instead, Flutie successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point, something that had not been done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941. It was his last play in the NFL. For some strange reason I am more impressed with that than with the Hail Mary pass.
Although many people assume he is a New England born Irishman, he was actually born in Maryland to Lebanese parents. They moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida when he was six. They lived there until the space program slow-down in 1976 brought the family to Natick.
He plays drums in his brother's rock band -- the Flutie Brothers Band.
He played drums in the rock group Boston's tribute to their deceased drummer Brad Delp.
For years, the traffic congestion between Shpper''s World in Framingham and the Natick Mall was horrendous. No one understood why they couldn't just connect the two parking lots. The two towns could never agree on the zoning for some weird reason. When the Natick Mall was torn down and rebuilt, they built a road, "Flutie Pass."
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Patriots Report: Week 11
I predicted - Pats 28 Colts 24
Final score - Colts 35 Pats 34
There is so much to say about that game. Missed my own spread by five points, but it seems like a lot more. The loss means only that the Patriots went from having a slim chance to virtually no chance to win the number one seed in the playoffs. A win against the Colts would have necessitated the Pats picking up another game on the Colts, which I didn't see as likely. So now the Patriots' goal is to win the division by finishing 13-3, hopefully grabbing a number two seed and a resulting bye week in the playoffs. That's a scenario any fan would have gladly taken after week two's embarrassing loss to the Jets.
Accordingly, a lot of people are calling this the "revenge game." I don't think the Jets deserve that much respect. The Patriots will end the Jets postseason hopes with an easy win. The odds makers have the Pats by 10 points. No problem. In fact, triple that. The Pats by 30 points. The offense has hit its stride in the last few games. The week two loss to the Jets had Tom Brady unable to connect with Randy Moss. That doesn't look to be much of a problem anymore.
The Jets do still have a good running game and should score a couple of times. But I see New England scoring early and often. Is 28 points before the second half too optimistic? We will see. Although Brady's stats have been ridiculously amazing in the past three weeks, I think that they will mix it up a bit more and use the running game as well, especially after getting a comfortable lead.
My prediction:
Pats 44
Jets 14
Final score - Colts 35 Pats 34
There is so much to say about that game. Missed my own spread by five points, but it seems like a lot more. The loss means only that the Patriots went from having a slim chance to virtually no chance to win the number one seed in the playoffs. A win against the Colts would have necessitated the Pats picking up another game on the Colts, which I didn't see as likely. So now the Patriots' goal is to win the division by finishing 13-3, hopefully grabbing a number two seed and a resulting bye week in the playoffs. That's a scenario any fan would have gladly taken after week two's embarrassing loss to the Jets.
Accordingly, a lot of people are calling this the "revenge game." I don't think the Jets deserve that much respect. The Patriots will end the Jets postseason hopes with an easy win. The odds makers have the Pats by 10 points. No problem. In fact, triple that. The Pats by 30 points. The offense has hit its stride in the last few games. The week two loss to the Jets had Tom Brady unable to connect with Randy Moss. That doesn't look to be much of a problem anymore.
The Jets do still have a good running game and should score a couple of times. But I see New England scoring early and often. Is 28 points before the second half too optimistic? We will see. Although Brady's stats have been ridiculously amazing in the past three weeks, I think that they will mix it up a bit more and use the running game as well, especially after getting a comfortable lead.
My prediction:
Pats 44
Jets 14
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