Totem wrote:
A NE superbowl win is not anywhere close to being a foregone conclusion. If Belichick insists on going for the 16-0 record and wears out his first string, they may likely be too tired to finish the job.
With the remaining schedule being what it is (Jets, Miami, Giants), I really cannot imagine Belichick running his 1st string down. He's been known to bring Brady out (and they haven't been running their offensive backfield down at all this season). Granted our 2nd & 3rd string QB's are nothing to cheer for...but again, they're there simply to maintain...not progress in the games.
Pat's had their mid-season slump with the Ravens and the Eagles, and last night was the Pat's vs. a far superior team than those. I don't necessarily like the Steelers, but I bit my nails for this one because they have a good team this year and Ben has come a long way.
Indy-schmindy. Already beat 'em, and then San Diego beat 'em the week after. Look at their schedule since SD...not-hard-teams. And they squeaked by KC and Jacksonville by 3 points in each game. And as the record has shown...Manning and crew have a tendency to buckle under Playoff games more times than not. Both teams have a cake-walk schedule remaining...and I would expect both to sideline their QB's by the 4th quarter (as seen this week with Peyton being replaced by Sorgi).
Pat's played good this week, against a good team, and pulled away a 34-13 win. It was apparent they shrugged off the shaky last two weeks and they're moving forward. Could they lose a game? Sure! Could they get rocked out of the Playoffs? Maybe...but I doubt it. If they do, they aren't going without a fight. But as for the season...they have a clear, easy shot at 16-0 going into the Playoffs. Jet's have no weapons, Miami is...well...a joke, and if Eli keeps going the way he is, we'll steamroll the Giants right into the Playoffs.