Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Patriots 31, Jets 14 (11/22/2009)

The Patriots took care of business and whooped the Jets 31-14, maintaining their two-game lead in the AFC East and bouncing back nicely from the "devastating" loss in Indy. BTW, if you were looking for a hang-over from the 4th-and-2 game, check the Colts -- 3 turnovers in a 17-15 squeaker over the .500 Ravens. Losses by Pittsburgh and Cincinnati put the Patriots back into a tie for the second-seed in the AFC playoff picture, so don't write them off just yet.

Given that this is a day late, you probably don't need me to go over every detail. So here is an abbreviated summary.

The offensive MVPs were Wes Welker, Tom Brady, and Laurence Maroney, in that order. Welker destroyed the Jets, catching over half the completed passes (15 out of 28), making 9 first downs (including a run on an end-around), and totaling 203 yards from scrimmage. In the future, the Jets should feel free to put supposed "best cornerback in the NFL" Darelle Revis on Randy Moss most of the day. But they should probably make sure someone covers Welker, too.

Brady is on a run of games reminiscent of 2007. Over the last five weeks, his average game looks like this: 27 of 37 (72%), 341 yards (9.25 yards per attempt), 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a QB rating of 112.6. Just to make look even more like 2007, he even tosses in the thrice-a-game "jump-ball/bomb to a covered Randy Moss" (in case you missed the sarcasm, he should cut out that last part). The Patriots are 4-1 over that span, with the lone loss a 35-34 gut-wrencher to the undefeated Colts in Indy.

Still not sure what to make of Laurence Maroney overall. While Brady has lit it up the past five weeks, here are Laurence's rushing totals: 123, 43, 82, 31, 77 (against the Jets). But he scored 2 touchdowns yesterday, and he ran more patiently and with more authority in the game. As the weather turns colder and nastier, the Patriots will need more of a running game, and they should get Sammy Morris and (maybe) Fred Taylor back from injury soon. So in the meantime, Maroney has to be more boom than bust -- and three of the last five weeks, he has been. One thing to watch out for: Maroney fumbled in each of the last two games. As Pete Carroll used to say, "Gotta clean it up!"

On defense the first half stats were amazing. The Jets had 2 first downs, 34 total yards on 22 plays, 0 third-down conversions, 28 yards rushing, 6 yards passing on 2 completions, 2 interceptions, a 0.0 QB rating, and... well, do you really need any more than that?

Leigh Bodden was the obvious star of the day. He snagged three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), giving him five for the year, which ties him for third in the NFL. (Quick trivia: one of the players Bodden is tied with used to play for the Patriots, name that player -- answer below.) Bear in mind that this was a young quarterback and the entire secondary deserves credit for tight coverage all the way around. But even so, it isn't often you give up just one touchdown on defense, and the Patriots did that to the Jets twice this year.

Overall the defense was stout against the run. Thomas Jones ran for 103 yards, but 40 of those were in garbage time. Vince Wilfork was his usual self, and having Ty Warren back helped close up the middle. Tully Banta-Cain returned and got excellent pressure on the QB (two sacks, one QB hit, one forced fumble), and fellow linebacker Jerod Mayo continues to improve, coming back from his knee injury; not quite there yet, but getting better every week.

The special teams were decent except for one play. The Jets blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown late in the first half, giving them hope for a comeback after a half when they'd been dominated.

As for the coaching, they did a great job rallying the team after their 1-point loss in Indy. And as expected, they had a great plan to confuse and beat the rookie quarterback.

So where does that leave us? The Patriots are 2-1 in their critical five-game stretch so far. They've got a big Monday Night game in New Orleans next week, so the undefeated Saints are the only thing on their radar screen. If they lose that game, they'll have a showdown with the Dolphins in Miami for the AFC East lead, so it's important that they stay focused and do their best to hand New Orleans their first loss of the year.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: The four teams that have given up the fewest points in the league are all in the AFC: Colts (157), Patriots (164), Bengals (167), and Ravens (161).


Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Rex Ryan had it all wrong. His rookie QB turned the ball over 5 times; his vaunted defense got lit-up by Wes Welker; he lost an important division game, all but ending any playoff hopes he had for the season. *Now* is when he should be crying!"

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 7-3!

PPS. Trivia answer: old friend Asante Samuel has five interceptions for the Eagles.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Patriots 34, Colts 35 (11/15/2009)

My personal version of hell: seeing Peyton Manning interviewed after beating the Patriots. Especially when he's standing next to Reggie Wayne. Yuck!

Just a heart-breaking loss. The Patriots played so well in all three phases of the game; yet some bad coaching and more of the usual from Peyton Manning left the Pats on the short end of a 35-34 score in Indy. The loss did not change their position in the division, with a Jets loss the Patriots are still two games up in the AFC East. But it effectively ends any chance to get home-field throughout the playoffs and hurts their chances for a first-round playoff bye. It also gives the Colts an outside chance at breaking the Patriots record of 21-straight regular season wins.

It is time to tell it like it is, folks. The Colts are now officially in Bill Belichick's head. He and his staff put together a great game plan and ran it to perfection for the first three quarters and two plays. They hit Peyton Manning, disrupted the timing of the receivers and the offense, and intercepted Manning twice. Meanwhile, the offense scored on big plays to Randy Moss, mixed in the run to keep the clock moving, and the team held a 31-14 lead with 14:00 left. Indy hadn't scored since the middle of the second quarter, and it looked like one more touchdown would seal the deal.

But for some reason, they went conservative on offense, running time and again from obvious running formations in obvious running situations. By any measure, the results were less than stellar: 5 plays for 1 yard. It was maddening to watch the Colts overload to stop the run and never see the Patriots run-fake and pass over the top or down the middle. There were eight (count 'em *8*) Colts playing the run... a play-action pass there changes field position and probably gets you the one score you need to win.

And all of this came after over-thinking in the first quarter and deciding to challenge a Reggie Wayne catch with no evidence that it would be overturned. There were also wasted timeouts: one due to offensive confusion; one immediately after change of possession late in the game; and one just before the ill-fated fourth down try at the two-minute warning.

Oh, and speaking of that fourth down play. There will understandably be a lot of attention on that one decision, and Belichick should be criticized for it. It was an apparent panic move, given that the Colts scored a touchdown on their last drive, in just 107 seconds. But at that point you have to play the odds. Your defense might be gassed, but unless you have a sure fire, guaranteed play that will get you the first down for certain, you have to punt the ball. And by the way, if you have a "sure fire, guaranteed to get you the first down for certain play," you run it on third down. That way, if you don't get the first down, you can punt it.

So put this loss squarely where it belongs; on the head coach. He needs to get over the Colts and treat those games like any other games. Manning is a great quarterback, so don't ever go conservative on offense, make smart choices with your challenges and timeouts, take advantage of any turnovers you get, and just play smart. The Colts are good, but they aren't as good as your team. Just don't over-think it and you will get the result you want.

There were a few good things. Quite a few, in fact. Randy Moss played a monster game. 9 receptions for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns, one of them coming despite obvious pass interference on the Colts safety (not called -- SHOCKER). At least three of his catches converted important third-downs, and Chris Baker helped in that regard with two catches, *both* of which netted first downs. Wes Welker was as reliable as usual; though he only tied Moss for most receptions (9 for 94 yards).

And receiver Julian Edelman gets the Toughness Award of the week. He played with a broken arm that was so injured that after he caught a touchdown, he spiked the ball with his *left* hand. So to recap, he played football with an arm too sore to spike the ball. Sounds like a pretty tough guy to me.

Tom Brady had a great game... right up until the coaches put the shackles on the offense. Tough to complain about a 110.7 QB rating and 3 touchdowns. But the one mistake was an end zone interception to start the third quarter. The Pats were moving the ball crisply down the field, with plays of 6, 5, 15, and 14 yards. So there was no reason to go for a 35 yard bomb at that point, and even though the safety came from the other side of the field, it was into double coverage.

And speaking of red zone turnovers, Laurence Maroney picked a really bad time for the second fumble of his career (and first this year). He coughed it up at the Colts 1 yard line, giving away at least three points and possibly seven. That gave the Pats red zone/end zone turnovers on two consecutive drives, and even still they needed a coaching meltdown to lose. But the Patriots did end up with 113 yards rushing and a 4.0 average. But they need to be more realistic about their running game. They can't line up in the I-formation and expect to blow teams off the ball and control the clock with the run. Most of their yardage against Indy came out of the shotgun on inside hand-offs to Kevin Faulk (12 carries for 79 yards), who had an outstanding day. That is who they are; a pass-first team that can run well if they use deception properly.

The O-line did a very good job; young Sebastian Vollmer and oft-maligned Nick Kazcur playing very well. Dan Koppen returned from injury and did an okay job, pouncing on a Brady fumble. And even though he was flagged once, it was reassuring to have him out there. Dan Connolly did a nice job stepping in against Miami last week, but in the Indy dome with all that noise and pressure, you'd rather have the veteran.

The defense... what a night for the defense. The plan was obvious from the start, hit anything that moves, and if it moves again, hit it again. It was old style Patriots football -- slow the receivers at the line and get up the field to the quarterback. They only got one sack but they hit Manning four other times and put a beat-down on Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, shutting them both down for a long stretch of the game.

The secondary played brilliantly. Leigh Bodden whacked Pierre Garcon at the line and shadowed him down the field, holding him to 3 catches out of 11 passes in his direction. Unfortunately, Reggie Wayne (10 catches for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns) did some serious damage against Jonathan Wilhite, but with the Colts you have to pick you poison. Wilhite got one interception, as did Bodden, and the secondary clearly did its job in holding the Colts down for most of the game.

The linebackers were a depleted bunch before the game began, and Tully Banta-Cain was injured early on. But they came through just fine. Derrick Burgess was flying at the quarterback all game long. The Patriots should not ask him to do anything against the run; make him a designated pass rusher and set him loose. Because every time he tried to cover the outside edge he got nowhere near Manning. Jerod Mayo still isn't quite back, but is making real strides, especially in pass coverage. And Gary Guyton did an outstanding job jamming Dallas Clark at the line to slow him up.

The D-line was... well, it was strange. They started the game with two defensive linemen on the field (and probably Derrick Burgess counted as a third). Vince Wilfork and Mike Wright started -- Ty Warren and Jarvis Green were out with injuries. And the young guys, Myron Pryor and Ron Brace played some, though not a lot. The Patriots simply played too much nickle coverage with too few players on the D-line to effectively grade that part of the team. I suppose I could watch the game again to figure it out, but doing that might put me into a depressed funk, so I won't do it. No... I *won't* -- you can't make me. You *can't*!!

The special teams were just fine. Wes Welker had a great punt return that the Pats cashed for a touchdown. And the coverage was terrific, right from the opening kickoff. I would say the Pats special teams outplayed the Colts -- though neither gained a huge advantage from the kicking game.

So where does that leave us? Well, tough a loss as it was, the Patriots are still in control of the AFC East, and can pretty much put it away with wins over the Jets and Dolphins in two of their next three games. The #1 AFC seed is out of the question, with the Colts now holding essentially a 4-game lead. But a first round bye is still possible -- they trail the Bengals by one game and are tied with Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Denver (though the Broncos hold the head-to-head tie-breaker). So after they somehow shake this one off, the Pats have to regain their focus and take care of the Jets in Foxboro.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Against the Colts, Patriots punter Chris Hanson allowed no touchbacks or return yards for the fourth time this year, and the second week in a row. The highest total for any other NFL punter this season is 2.

Trivia question, name any of the five punters who have done that this year (answer below).


Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Guess we'll have to hope for a rematch in January."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 6-3!

PPS. Trivia Answer...
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Steve Weatherford (New York Jets)
Matt Turk (Houston Texans)
Pat McAfee (Indianapolis Colts)
Brad Maynard (Chicago Bears)
and Thomas Morstead (New Orleans)

Monday, November 9, 2009

Patriots 27, Dolphins 17 (11/8/2009)

The Dolphins unveiled the Pistol offense yesterday, but it wasn't as impressive as last year's debut of the Wildcat. The Patriots held them to two touchdowns (after getting scorched for five last year), and earned a hard-fought 27-17 victory in sunny Foxboro. The win puts the Pats in control of the AFC East, two full games ahead of the Jets and three ahead of the Dolphins and Bills. It also sets up yet another "Game of the Year" against the undefeated Colts in Indianapolis this Sunday night.

Brady started the game with another jump-ball to Moss that was intercepted, but was in total control after that. He finished with 65% completions and even though the stat sheet says he was sacked twice, it's difficult to remember those plays. The O-line kept him very clean, using quick feet to control the outside pass rush and power to run right over the Dolphins defense (quick trivia: name the only Miami defensive starter who had no tackles in the game). Sebastian Vollmer continues to impress in place of the injured Matt Light, protecting Brady's blind side and doing a great job blocking on screens and tackle pulls. Special mention goes to Dan Connolly, who stepped in for center Dan Koppen and held his own blocking and didn't mess up a single snap.

Even though there was that early interception, Brady targeted Moss a lot. And Randy delivered, with 6 catches for 147 yards, among which were the following: a pair of important third-down conversions; a spectacular one-handed grab to set up a touchdown; an exciting 71-yard catch and run touchdown; and a critical catch on a two-point conversion. The only thing he didn't do was play in the defensive backfield. Maybe next week. Wes Welker was Mr. Dependable (9 for 84 yards) and Ben Watson played one of his best games of the year, finishing with 4 for 49 yards and some excellent blocking. He was called for an illegal "pick" play, but that penalty is rarely called in the NFL, so he just needs to disguise it better to avoid the negative play.

With only three running backs on the roster and a pass heavy offense, there isn't usually much to say about this group. But Laurence Maroney looked good about 75% of the time yesterday, hitting the hole and getting great downhill blocking to end the day with 82 yards. It was important to be effective running, because it slowed down the pass rush and wore down the defenders. And they actually got some yardage from running formations, which has been tough for them this year. So progress is progress, and the running attack has improved the past three games.

The defense was a different story. They controlled the Miami offense for most of the game, giving up just the two touchdown drives. So it wasn't that they stunk up the joint; but they gave up too many third-down conversions, especially on short passes against soft coverage. And there were a lot of missed plays against the Wildcat/Pistol offense, with Tully Banta-Cain whiffing once and the entire left side collapsing on Ricky Williams touchdown run (untouched into the end zone). Now that they've seen the new wrinkles, they will do better in Miami in four weeks. But given the extra time they practiced against the Wildcat, the 16-play 66-yard drive to open the second half was disappointing.

It was not a good day for the secondary. Rookie Darius Butler was in due to injury and Leigh Bodden gimped in and out a few times. The Pats didn't rotate a safety to Butler's side so it looked like his assignment was "don't get beaten deep." He didn't give up any long passes, but instead let up quite a few short pass completions, though he was a sure tackler, getting 7 on the day. Same went for the rest of the secondary; Brandon Meriweather gave a third-down conversion early, Bodden gave up a few, and even Brandon McGowan got caught for a few over the middle, though he did make 11 tackles on the day.

The rest of the defense played pretty well, save for the two touchdown drives. Ty Warren was the star on the D-line, and the rotation of Myron Pryor and Mike Wright did a good job spelling Vince Wilfork on a hot day.

Jerod Mayo continues to round into post-injury form, notching 12 tackles to lead the team and becoming much more active and vocal. Adalius Thomas made a huge play on a double-reverse option-pass, but Banta-Cain was hot-and-cold against the different offensive looks, thought he was around the QB all day.

Stephen Gostkowski had his best day as a pro, with four field goals, consistently deep kicks to neutralize the Dolphins return game, and even one special teams tackle. The Dolphins beat the Jets with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, so there's no overstating how important it was to get touchbacks and mostly short returns. The punting game was mediocre, no huge mistakes, but Chris Hanson should have pinned the Dolphins deeper at least twice.

The coaches did an excellent job preparing for the Wildcat and a very good job adjusting to the Pistol during the game. They helped limit Miami's offensive success to two touchdown drives and once they had the game in hand they properly ran the clock, knowing they had nothing to fear from an anemic Dolphins passing attack. A very sound game plan and well executed.

So where does that leave us? As stated before, 6-2 with a two game lead in the division sounds pretty good. The Colts game will test the young secondary, and I expect they will do better than they did this week because the team will concentrate on stopping the pass, whereas with Miami they had to stop the run first. Should be a great game, carve out the three hours if you can.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: The Patriots failed to force a turnover for the first time this year.

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "The Pats could have won by more, but they went conservative in the fourth quarter. They knew they were in control of the game and the Dolphins were out of tricks."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 6-2!

PPS. Thank you to the Weather God, my friend Al, for a yet another great weather day at Foxboro.

PPPS. Trivia answer: Loud mouth Joey Porter :)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Patriots Mid-season Report (11/3/2009)

At 5-2, the Patriots are exactly where I thought they'd be at this point (link). And playing in a bad division, they are well on their way to the playoffs. How bad is the division? The Pats took last weekend off and *still* gained ground in the AFC East. The Jets lost, so the Pats have a 1.5-game lead. Buffalo certainly won't contend, so the battle for the crown will come down to the floundering Jets and perhaps-resurgent 3-4 Dolphins.

But that will be played out over the coming months, and the injury factor always looms in the NFL. So rather than look too far in the future, here is my take on where the team is right now.

The Offense

Is Brady Coming Around?

He hasn't been horrible, he's just been human in coming back from a very bad knee injury. He missed easy touchdowns against the Jets and Broncos, either of which would have won the game. But without his great play down the stretch against Buffalo or his superb performance in the snow against Tennessee, they could have lost either of those games. (I know they beat the Titans 59-0, but early on it was a lot closer than people remember.)

The good news is that he's missed fewer passes lately and continues to develop chemistry with Sam Aiken and Julian Edelman, before Edelman was injured. When Edelman returns, it will be interesting to see if that chemistry comes back quickly. If it does, the Pats will be poised to do some real damage down the stretch. But in the meantime, Aiken an Benjamin Watson need to step up their games to make defenses pay for double teaming Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Attrition on the Run

The Patriots two best running backs are Fred Taylor and Sammie Morris. Both are injured, with Taylor out for a while and Morris more week-to-week. That doesn't leave them much at the running back position.

Featured back wannabe Laurence Maroney still runs hot (Tennessee game) and cold (Tampa Bay game). BenJarvus Green-Ellis at least runs the play as it is designed, but he lacks Fred Taylor's talent to avoid direct hits and still runs standing up too straight.

I would feed BenJarvus the ball, though. Maroney returns kicks and Kevin Faulk is too valuable as a third-down/spread formation specialist, both blocking and on draws and screen passes. So until Morris returns, for the time being it's important that they protect Maroney and Faulk, so maybe some additional carries for BenJarvus.

But keep an eye on this position; one more injury and there could be real trouble, because the Patriots blocking schemes are too complex for a new back to learn quickly.

The Defense

No Substitute for Youth

Meet the new Tedy Bruschis and Rodney Harrisons of this defense. Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton, second-year linebackers. Brandon Meriweather, third-year safety. Jonathan Wilhite, second-year corner. Rob Ninkovich, fourth-year linebacker. And two rookies: Darius Butler (corner), Myron Pryor (defensive lineman).

All had two things that the players they replaced did not -- youth and upside. Mayo is the cornerstone of the defense, and Guyton's play when Mayo was injured was crucial to getting wins those weeks. And Ninkovich has more tackles in 7 games (12) than he had in three previous seasons (6).

Wilhite and Butler aren't perfect, but both have knocked away big passes at critical times and both will improve with more playing time. And Pryor has looked good in the D-line rotation. Here's hoping he can help pick up the slack with Jarvis Green out for 2-4 weeks.

We're #3! We're #3!

You might be surprised to know the Patriots have the third-rated defense in the NFL, giving up exactly 14 points per game (slightly behind Indy and Denver). I know it surprised me; I thought they'd need more time to gel. But with their young talent and how the secondary has come together, they could be even *better* by the end of the year.

Given the players lost in the off-season, and the gloom and doom of the local media, that's impressive. They ranked #8 last year when all the media faves were still around. So it looks like a good move to go young and develop, rather than stay old and try to hang on. I'm glad they tried something new; the old way didn't work in any of the last four years.

Defensive MVP

There's a real horse race for defensive MVP. Vince Wilfork is on the field for fewer plays (coming out in a rotation with Mike Wright and Pryor), but he has been a destroyer when he's out there. He constantly blows up or redirects running plays and is getting consistent pass pressure, even when doubled. Vince is making one of the greatest contract-year pushes we've seen from a Patriots player.

Competing with big Vince are the two Brandons, McGowan and Meriweather. The secondary is easily the most improved area of the team, and in his third season, Meriweather is the clear leader in the backfield. He has taken Rodney Harrison's old role and keeps the the secondary on the same page, delivers huge hits and makes key INTs.

McGowan came out of nowhere, a free agent afterthought by most people (including yours truly). But he wasted no time making an impact, helping forcing a crucial fumble in a close game with Atlanta, making special teams tackles, and hitting anyone who hasn't said "Uncle!" He instilled a new attitude, and every time you see the defense gang tackle or force a fumble, he's sure to be in the center of the action.

The nod for defensive MVP goes to Wilfork at this point, but it is a very close call.

The Kicking Game

Replacing Experience

Lonie Paxton left, but there hasn't been a single hiccup in the long-snapping game. Rookie Jake Ingram nailed every single one. 2008 special teams captain Larry Izzo left, but they haven't missed him much. Brandon McGowan and Matthew Slater are the big special teams hitters now. And I think that was Larry Izzo whiffing on an easy tackle last week, when Ted Ginn Jr. returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Special teams coach Scott O'Brien replaced Brad Seeley, but they haven't missed a beat. The return and coverage games were a work in progress but both have been solid the last three weeks. And they are forcing more special teams turnovers than they did even in their heyday (2001 - 2004).

So the reviews are clear: change is good!

The Coaching

I said it before and I'll say it again; Belichick changed his mode after 2006, going for every win early in the season at the cost of not developing enough young players to get him through the playoffs. This year it's back to the 2001 - 2006 mode -- build your team throughout the year, even if it costs you a few early games, and be playing your absolute best late in the year and into the playoffs.

It worked so far. He has a younger team that's playing over its heads, hitting everything that moves, and showing off speed we haven't seen on defense since 2004. The defense is also causing more turnovers: the Pats forced only 22 turnovers all last season, this year they are on pace for 34.

He and his staff have done a great job putting together a stout defense and working through some early problems on special teams and offense. The schedule gets tough for the next five weeks, and this is when they will make their mark on 2009. Go 4-1 and they are Super Bowl contenders. 3-2 makes them a legitimate playoff threat. 2-3 or worse and they might win the division but won't do much in the playoffs.

The Schedule

My predictions from earlier in the year stand. The only two changes I thought about making were the Colts and Saints games. The Colts are still rolling; but there are factors in the Patriots favor. First, the Colts have only 1 win over a tam with a winning record (can you guess? answer below), and came dangerously close to losing to a mediocre San Francisco squad. And second, the Colts have won 16 straight games, which makes them a threat to eclipse the Patriots record of 21 straight. Don't think that's lost on Bill Belichick, who cares more about football history than most anyone. He will pull out all the stops for this one.

As for the Saints, their defense is better than I thought it would be, but there are two factors to consider here, too. First, New Orleans has started to turn the ball over more, and the Patriots defense and special teams are turnover-happy lately. Second, the new defensive coordinator in New Orleans is Gregg Williams, who the Patriots almost always beat. In their last five games against Gregg Williams, the Patriot have averaged 29.6 points per game, and they've gone 4-1.

So even though the complexion of those games has changed, I will stick with my original predictions; which went like this:

11/8 vs Dolphins (Win; Pats coming off a bye week, too much talent, I'm attending the game)

11/15 @ Colts (Win; about time for a Pats victory in Indy)

11/22 vs Jets (Win; Jets QB imploding, no Leon Washington, defense exposed last two weeks)

11/30 @ Saints (Win; Saints turning the ball over lately, and Pats feast on Gregg Williams' defenses)

12/6 @ Dolphins (Loss; short week followed by division road game)

12/13 vs Panthers (Win; Panthers are awful, cold weather game for southern team)

12/20 @ Bills (Win; Bills are awful and getting worse, Brady flourishes at Buffalo -- look it up!)

12/27 vs Jaguars (Win; read Panther game above)

1/3 @ Texans (Win or Loss, depending on whether or not the game means anything to either team)

Statistical Oddity of the Week: The Patriots and one other team have scored more than twice as many points as they have allowed. Without checking online, can you name the other team (answer below)?

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "3-2 over the next few games sets them up nicely. But 4-1 would be better!" ::wry smile::

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS. 5-2!

PPS. Trivia answer #1, Colts beat the Cardinals, a 4-3 AFC West "powerhouse."

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PPPS. Trivia answer #2 , the Indianapolis Colts (no points off if you guessed the Saints).