New England--game of the week

[LordHelpOurColts]

I don't think anyone can doubt that New England is in the game of the week this week and it is the most important game to determine who might be the best team in the AFC. What does N.E. have to do to win this game? And if they do, are they without question the best team in the AFC?

[amfootball]

The game is important in terms of seedings. If Pats win then they open up a two game lead on both the South and North for the bye and are still ahead of Denver for the 1 seed given they beat them head to head. So in terms of the bye it is important with just six games left after Sunday.

 

I really did not see the game as one that determines who the best team is. The Pats are already ranked number one in many listing given their win over Denver but there is still so much football to be played. They need to continue to win and hopefully stay healthy down the stretch.

[12isthenew18]

We need to win for seeding. Seeding ahead of new england is number 1 priority 

[GoPats]

Nothing's written in stone for any team after this week, but a New England win certainly puts the Patriots in fantastic position with six weeks to go. 

 

An Indy win shuffles the top three seeds around, putting Denver back on top and bumping the Patriots down to 3rd.

 

So yeah, huge implications with this one. 

 

To win, NE must:

 

- Protect Brady

- Force Indy to settle for FGs (Luck will move the ball, no question, but don't let him punch it in) 

- Win the turnover battle

 

To a lesser extent I think they need to run the ball successfully, at least enough to make the Colts have to defend it. 

[dgambill]

Nothing's written in stone for any team after this week, but a New England win certainly puts the Patriots in fantastic position with six weeks to go. 

 

An Indy win shuffles the top three seeds around, putting Denver back on top and bumping the Patriots down to 3rd.

 

So yeah, huge implications with this one. 

 

To win, NE must:

 

- Protect Brady

- Force Indy to settle for FGs (Luck will move the ball, no question, but don't let him punch it in) 

- Win the turnover battle

 

To a lesser extent I think they need to run the ball successfully, at least enough to make the Colts have to defend it. 

If we have to be concerned even a TINY bit about the run we are in DEEEP do do. This game will be like the Peyton/Tom shoot out...high scoring and lots of passing. I do think WE have to run the ball with Bradshaw....I think he is the type of runner that gives NE fits. Also Luck throwing over 40 times scares that bejeebes out of me. He throws that many times against NE he is going to throw multiple picks likely and Brady will capitalize on it. Pretty much what you said applies to both teams. Protect qb, force fgs, win turnover battle, run the ball.....great recipe for success...but I think NE can win easily without running it...us I'm not so sure. Big game but I don't expect everyone to win the rest of their games. I forsee everybody losing at least 1 game more this year.

[GoPats]

If we have to be concerned even a TINY bit about the run we are in DEEEP do do. This game will be like the Peyton/Tom shoot out...high scoring and lots of passing. I do think WE have to run the ball with Bradshaw....I think he is the type of runner that gives NE fits. Also Luck throwing over 40 times scares that bejeebes out of me. He throws that many times against NE he is going to throw multiple picks likely and Brady will capitalize on it. Pretty much what you said applies to both teams. Protect qb, force fgs, win turnover battle, run the ball.....great recipe for success...but I think NE can win easily without running it...us I'm not so sure. Big game but I don't expect everyone to win the rest of their games. I forsee everybody losing at least 1 game more this year.

 

Totally agree, said basically the same thing in another thread. Bradshaw is a player to watch Sunday. 

[JerodMayo51]

It's a huge game in determining playoff seeding, but we won't know for sure who the best team in the AFC is until the AFCCG is played.

Winning this would be huge and give us tie breakers over indy and denver. The steelers just dropped a game to the Jets so they're 2 games behind now.

Kansas City has some tough games left but if NE beats Indy, KC would be the only team left that would have a tie breaker over NE.

It's going to be a great Sunday Night Football game.. I'm really confused why they didn't put the Denver vs NE game in prime time but this will certainly be worthy of it.

This game scares me more than the Denver game did

[shakedownstreet]

It's a huge game in determining playoff seeding, but we won't know for sure who the best team in the AFC is until the AFCCG is played.

 

mr obvious called. he wants his shtick back

[dgambill]

It's a huge game in determining playoff seeding, but we won't know for sure who the best team in the AFC is until the AFCCG is played.

Winning this would be huge and give us tie breakers over indy and denver. The steelers just dropped a game to the Jets so they're 2 games behind now.

Kansas City has some tough games left but if NE beats Indy, KC would be the only team left that would have a tie breaker over NE.

It's going to be a great Sunday Night Football game.. I'm really confused why they didn't put the Denver vs NE game in prime time but this will certainly be worthy of it.

This game scares me more than the Denver game did

Nobody wants to play a night game in NE....especially around november. Going by last years game and conditions nobody wants to sit in subfreezing temps.....well maybe NE fans do to watch Peyton lose but not many people would. They wanted to see the qbs be able to play with as good of weather as possible probably....thats just my opinion. Plus it was before week 10 and the flex scheduling and CBS has dibs on a certain amount of games and can veto the flex....doubt they would give that game up if possible.

 

I think NE definately has the inside track to home field for the playoffs...even though they have some tough games coming up I don't think anyone wins out.

[Synthetic]

Going by last years game and conditions nobody wants to sit in subfreezing temps.....well maybe NE fans do to watch Peyton lose but not many people would.

 

 

Yep cause only Pats fans like to watch the chosen God of the NFL lose lmao

[Jules]

No doubt, both QBs at times are going to move the ball. And maybe at ease. I just wonder if either team will get enough pressure on the opposing QB in this game. If not we could be looking at a wild shoot out. 

 

I wondered if Bradshaw might be a key in this game for the Colts. Did he used to have good success vs. the Patriots with the Giants?

[Jules]

This game scares me more than the Denver game did

 

 

Both teams are coming off a bye and will be ready to roll. I just wonder if NE will have cooled off during the bye week. But, at the same time they are often good coming off a bye. Luck is a lot better at home.......we can avoid more turnovers this time around maybe. I worry the Pats will try to get Trent Richardson to fumble though, sigh.

 

It is a scary game in the sense that to me it feels like a playoff game too for some reason here. Night time with both teams being rested. And it's at home for us........we don't host you guys much in recent years.

 

Honestly, even if the Colts win this game I am not even convinced we roll through the rest of the year. We tend to flub up a bit at times and lose to a team we are not supposed to lose to. And we still have to go to Cleveland and Dallas which will be tough.

 

Part of me thinks NE splits with GB/Indy on the road right now but you all do well in the cold so going to GB might even give you an advantage. And the Lions at home will be a challenge........but it will be tougher for them on the road no doubt.

 

I have a tough time imagining NE losing a home game. So sometimes I look at the Indy/GB/SD games as the key games. And SD isn't what we initially thought either.

[JerodMayo51]

Both teams are coming off a bye and will be ready to roll. I just wonder if NE will have cooled off during the bye week. But, at the same time they are often good coming off a bye. Luck is a lot better at home.......we can avoid more turnovers this time around maybe. I worry the Pats will try to get Trent Richardson to fumble though, sigh.

It is a scary game in the sense that to me it feels like a playoff game too for some reason here. Night time with both teams being rested. And it's at home for us........we don't host you guys much in recent years.

Honestly, even if the Colts win this game I am not even convinced we roll through the rest of the year. We tend to flub up a bit at times and lose to a team we are not supposed to lose to. And we still have to go to Cleveland and Dallas which will be tough.

Part of me thinks NE splits with GB/Indy on the road right now but you all do well in the cold so going to GB might even give you an advantage. And the Lions at home will be a challenge........but it will be tougher for them on the road no doubt.

I have a tough time imagining NE losing a home game. So sometimes I look at the Indy/GB/SD games as the key games. And SD isn't what we initially thought either.

Yea I'm still torn on whether the bye week is a good thing or a bad thing. . The Pats have been on a roll the last 5 weeks so it could take away that momentum they built up, but on the other hand it's allowed guys who were banged up time to get healthy. It also allows the coaching staff more time to prepare, as well as review what the Pats themselves have been doing thats good & bad

This game feels like a big one that has a lot riding on it, like you said it has that playoff feel.. I'm sure it's going to be a barn burner and might just determine who's stadium they play at when they inevitably meet again in the playoffs

[House]

Pats are going to win the turnover battle. We haven't been great at taking care of the ball this year. So we need to either jump out ahead, or keep them in arms reach.

Current form for both teams, I would pencil in a Pats W if this was in NE. But Colts at home, I give them a shot in a shoot out. Luck's going to toss at least 2 INTs though.

[sweetsurrender]

Pats are going to win the turnover battle. We haven't been great at taking care of the ball this year. So we need to either jump out ahead, or keep them in arms reach.

Current form for both teams, I would pencil in a Pats W if this was in NE. But Colts at home, I give them a shot in a shoot out. Luck's going to toss at least 2 INTs though.

If he does toss 2, we will lose, especially if they come early in the game and allows the Pats to get up on us. Have to play clean.

 

What makes you feel he will throw two picks this game?

[MJD42]

Pats are going to win the turnover battle. We haven't been great at taking care of the ball this year. So we need to either jump out ahead, or keep them in arms reach.

Current form for both teams, I would pencil in a Pats W if this was in NE. But Colts at home, I give them a shot in a shoot out. Luck's going to toss at least 2 INTs though.

My thoughts exactly. Colts will turn it over but it depends at what point in the game. Can't have Luck start the game like he did last year in the playoffs and throw one right to them for an early 7-0 lead.

[ColtsBlueFL]

If he does toss 2, we will lose, especially if they come early in the game and allows the Pats to get up on us. Have to play clean.

 

What makes you feel he will throw two picks this game?

 

I don not know his reasons, but mine are-

 

Bill Belichick is the best at disguising his D pre-snap.  The better the QB he faces, the more creative he gets in his defensive gameplan and disguising it.  Here is Lucks stats the first two times facing BB and his defense-

Luck-

2012 - 27-50-334-2-3

2013 - 20-41-331-2-4

                    4TD-7Int

 

Even Peyton Manning is 7 wins versus 12 losses to BB.  Peyton has seen everything in his career, yet BB was able to design and disguise his D and created two interceptions from P. Manning earlier this year. 

Manning-

2014 - 34-57-438-2-2

 

Most of those were empty stats as they (Denver) were down big and early.  At that time, they were the number 1 scoring O.  Now we are. Luck will likely throw at least 1, and likely two.  Nothing I've looked up says he will get through this unscathed.  But I'll tell you this... if he does, it will be a monumental achievement and huge catapult to Lucks career!  And I'll be the first to tune in to First Take on Monday!! 

[LordHelpOurColts]

Well, I believe we have our answer.

[MJD42]

Well, I believe we have our answer.

Never really came down to the QBs, did it? NE's run game just dominated and the Colts could never run. That was the whole story.

[B~Town]

We got a butts handed to us we got out played and out coached

[Moose Of Woe]

We smacked Brady around in the first half and kept the game within reach. We forced them to stay ahead of us solely with the run.

 

Then we stopped hitting Brady from the third quarter on and it was downhill from there. Without the pressure they were able to not only beat us with the run but the pass, too. Bad coaching, game over.

 

How to beat NE:

Pressure Brady.

THEN, WHEN IT'S WORKING,

Keep pressuring Brady. NOT STOP.

 

Make them beat you with the run. Heck, NE may very well have still beat us just by running but we would have made it a lot more interesting in the end. Especially if Brady kept throwing picks due to pressure.

[MJD42]

We smacked Brady around in the first half and kept the game within reach. We forced them to stay ahead of us solely with the run.

 

Then we stopped hitting Brady from the third quarter on and it was downhill from there. Without the pressure they were able to not only beat us with the run but the pass, too. Bad coaching, game over.

 

How to beat NE:

Pressure Brady.

THEN, WHEN IT'S WORKING,

Keep pressuring Brady. NOT STOP.

 

Make them beat you with the run. Heck, NE may very well have still beat us just by running but we would have made it a lot more interesting in the end. Especially if Brady kept throwing picks due to pressure.

You can't pressure Brady when you are a sieve vs the run. He play actioned all second half and the Colts had to bite on it. His second pick was a total brain fart. You can credit the pressure but he should have just taken the sack or not audibled at all.

[Moose Of Woe]

You can't pressure Brady when you are a sieve vs the run. He play actioned all second half and the Colts had to bite on it. His second pick was a total brain fart. You can credit the pressure but he should have just taken the sack or not audibled at all.

It's still a better option than not pressuring him and letting him carve a team up like a turkey dinner.

 

Stuff like the brain fart pick as a result of pressure is exactly why you keep pressuring him. You hope he makes boneheaded mistakes instead of knowing he'll kill you in the air if you give him all day. History shows he WILL screw up and go in to his Alice in Wonderland pouty pose if you pressure him all game. If you don't, he'll kill you.

 

Look at any team that has beat NE in the last decade or so and how they've done it. There is one constant - pressure on Brady all game long. Take the pass away by going for the one throwing the ball instead of covering quite possibly the best TE in NFL history plus Edelman for 5+ seconds. Doing so makes them try and beat you with the run. Of course we can't stop the run either, but concede that and at least don't let them kill us in the air, too.

 

Keep them one dimensional on the ground and hope Brady's nerves create a few turnovers in the air. He almost never has turnovers if he has all day. We had two tonight and it kept us in the game. Then, we stopped.

[MJD42]

It's still a better option than not pressuring him and letting him carve a team up like a turkey dinner.

 

Stuff like the brain fart pick as a result of pressure is exactly why you keep pressuring him. You hope he makes boneheaded mistakes instead of knowing he'll kill you in the air if you give him all day.

 

Look at any team that has beat NE in the last decade or so and how they've done it. There is one constant - pressure on Brady all game long. Take the pass away by going for the one throwing the ball instead of covering quite possibly the best TE in NFL history plus Edelman for 5+ seconds. Doing so makes them try and beat you with the run. Of course we can't stop the run either, but concede that and at least don't let them kill us in the air, too.

 

Keep them one dimensional on the ground and hope Brady's nerves create a few turnovers in the air. He almost never has turnovers if he has all day. We had two tonight and it kept us in the game. Then, we stopped.

He only attempted 11 passes in the second half. Colts had to stop the run first in order to even have a chance at Brady.

[Moose Of Woe]

He only attempted 11 passes in the second half. Colts had to stop the run first in order to even have a chance at Brady.

And almost all of them were completions and decent gains.

 

We had to concede the run and just keep after him, but didn't. We did it for a half and it was still a ball game.

[MJD42]

And almost all of them were completions and decent gains.

Quite a few were third down conversions I think.

[Moose Of Woe]

Quite a few were third down conversions I think.

They were. He had all day and killed us.

 

Third and 10? No problem! Let me sip my coolata while my boys buy another five seconds. Of course Brady gets all the credit for his "footwork" when nobody is even close to within arm's reach of him.

[MJD42]

They were. He had all day and killed us.

Yeah, 9 for 12 on third downs. That is a killer. Game was eerily similar to the playoff game last year.

[YOUR GM]

I went to the game last night. This has nothing to do with the New England fans on this forum, but as for the ones at the game last night..... some of the most classless, obnoxious fans I've ever seen at a sporting event, from start to finish.

Much respect to the Patriots team and the game they played last night. That being said, their fans are the real reason everyone hates them

[MJD42]

I went to the game last night. This has nothing to do with the New England fans on this forum, but as for the ones at the game last night..... some of the most classless, obnoxious fans I've ever seen at a sporting event, from start to finish.

Much respect to the Patriots team and the game they played last night. That being said, their fans are the real reason everyone hates them

There are bad fans everywhere ....

[GoPats]

Nothing's written in stone for any team after this week, but a New England win certainly puts the Patriots in fantastic position with six weeks to go. 

 

An Indy win shuffles the top three seeds around, putting Denver back on top and bumping the Patriots down to 3rd.

 

So yeah, huge implications with this one. 

 

To win, NE must:

 

- Protect Brady

- Force Indy to settle for FGs (Luck will move the ball, no question, but don't let him punch it in) 

- Win the turnover battle

 

To a lesser extent I think they need to run the ball successfully, at least enough to make the Colts have to defend it. 

 

So I was 2/3. 

 

And I totally understated the importance of a running game. I didn't think the Patriots would follow their own blueprint from the playoff game, and figured they had to keep up on the scoreboard. Especially not with a practice squad RB toting the ball. 

 

Brady's lapses in judgement made it closer than it could have been. The first INT probably took at least 3 off the board for NE, while the second one gifted a TD for Indy.

[GoPats]

I went to the game last night. This has nothing to do with the New England fans on this forum, but as for the ones at the game last night..... some of the most classless, obnoxious fans I've ever seen at a sporting event, from start to finish.

Much respect to the Patriots team and the game they played last night. That being said, their fans are the real reason everyone hates them

 

No, it really isn't though. That's how you feel this morning because you went to the game last night, all pumped up and ready to go, and watched your team get pushed around for three hours. And it sounds like some NE fans made it worse for you. 

 

You weren't specific about what they did... care to shed any light on that? 

 

There are good fans and jerks in every fan base. No need to paint an entire region of people with the same hateful brush. 

[YOUR GM]

No, it really isn't though. That's how you feel this morning because you went to the game last night, all pumped up and ready to go, and watched your team get pushed around for three hours. And it sounds like some NE fans made it worse for you. 

 

You weren't specific about what they did... care to shed any light on that? 

 

There are good fans and jerks in every fan base. No need to paint an entire region of people with the same hateful brush. 

 

 

I rest my case. Thanks for proving my point

[GoPats]

I rest my case. Thanks for proving my point

 

LOL...

 

Sorry counselor, but you lose your case then. You can call me classless all you want, but nothing I said was even close. And if you're going to strike out at an entire demographic of people, and then act all butt-hurt when I call you out on it, you're the one proving a point. It's just not the point you think you're proving. 

 

Why won't you answer the very simple question? (What did they do?)

 

Are they jerks because they were happy and celebrated the win? Maybe they gave a little grief back to the Indy fans around them? Had a good time after spending hundreds of dollars, maybe even thousands if they traveled there, to support their team? 

 

Look if you tell me that a bunch of Pats fans got loaded and were picking fights and dumping beer on people, that's one thing. But if you're talking about having hurt feelings because they had the nerve to pay good money to come to YOUR stadium and root for THEIR team, well... sorry but toughen up. 

 

So which one was it? Drunken idiocy or hurt feelings? Because if it's the former, then you have a point. If it's the later, you're being a baby. 

[YOUR GM]

I don't get into exchanges with people at games, especially over sports. I did see a lot of almost fights break out last night though because the New England crowd was just downright obnoxious the entire evening, even before the blowout started. Nothing wrong with cheering your team on, but they were just insulting people in the crowd, the city and the team as loud as possible, baiting for a confrontation with some Colts fan drunk enough to bite. I've been to a lot of sporting events involving rivals and I've never had as unpleasant an experience as I had last night, just as an observer. Of course the outcome of the game didn't help but that's nothing. Teams lose, you move on. Being a fanatic shouldn't give people the excuse to act like the lowest form of life for 3 hours...just saying  

[YOUR GM]

LOL...

 

Sorry counselor, but you lose your case then. You can call me classless all you want, but nothing I said was even close. And if you're going to strike out at an entire demographic of people, and then act all butt-hurt when I call you out on it, you're the one proving a point. It's just not the point you think you're proving. 

 

Why won't you answer the very simple question? (What did they do?)

 

Are they jerks because they were happy and celebrated the win? Maybe they gave a little grief back to the Indy fans around them? Had a good time after spending hundreds of dollars, maybe even thousands if they traveled there, to support their team? 

 

Look if you tell me that a bunch of Pats fans got loaded and were picking fights and dumping beer on people, that's one thing. But if you're talking about having hurt feelings because they had the nerve to pay good money to come to YOUR stadium and root for THEIR team, well... sorry but toughen up. 

 

So which one was it? Drunken idiocy or hurt feelings? Because if it's the former, then you have a point. If it's the later, you're being a baby. 

 

 

I prefaced my original post saying, "This has nothing to do with the New England fans on this forum," so that automatically disqualifies your accusation that I'm labeling all Pats fans the same. You read what you wanted from it. And it was definitely the former. As I said, I've been to rivalry games. There were good Pats fans there that I didn't have a problem with. I was actually surrounded by them (one of them being my best friend). I'm talking about a good 4-5 crowds of New England fans that were just trying to start fights all night. It wouldn't surprise me if they got what they were looking for on their way out of the stadium 

[GoPats]

I prefaced my original post saying, "This has nothing to do with the New England fans on this forum," so that automatically disqualifies your accusation that I'm labeling all Pats fans the same. You read what you wanted from it. And it was definitely the former. As I said, I've been to rivalry games. There were good Pats fans there that I didn't have a problem with. I was actually surrounded by them (one of them being my best friend). I'm talking about a good 4-5 crowds of New England fans that were just trying to start fights all night. It wouldn't surprise me if they got what they were looking for on their way out of the stadium 

 

So your best friend is a Pats fan, but the Patriots fans are why everyone hates them?   ;)

 

Look I hear what you're saying, but you do realize that this happens at virtually every stadium, virtually every week, right? People get stupid when they get emotional about watching this sport. It's always been that way. 

 

I didn't call you out to pick a fight or to try to make you look bad. I've got almost 2800 posts on this board without a single warning. Wasn't trying to troll you... just got to stick up for my peeps, you know?   We're not all bad, lol...

[Nadine]

aiyiyi

 

How loud were the Colts fans?  

[YOUR GM]

So your best friend is a Pats fan, but the Patriots fans are why everyone hates them? ;)

Look I hear what you're saying, but you do realize that this happens at virtually every stadium, virtually every week, right? People get stupid when they get emotional about watching this sport. It's always been that way.

I didn't call you out to pick a fight or to try to make you look bad. I've got almost 2800 posts on this board without a single warning. Wasn't trying to troll you... just got to stick up for my peeps, you know? We're not all bad, lol...

We're good. I know all you guys aren't bad. I shouldn't have made the final comment about the fans in my first post. Just an unpleasant gaming experience last night due to a few crowds of Bostonians that make for poor excuses of human beings. Definitely changed my perception of this "rivalry." It's more of a regional clash of cultures than anything. Maybe that's just what being a fan is about out that way (or maybe not) I don't know, I've never been to a sporting event out east.

Anyways, great game last night. Good luck the rest of the season

[YOUR GM]

aiyiyi

How loud were the Colts fans?

We were loud for as long as the game was competitive. Bob Lamey said it best last night. Something to the effect of, "The 12th man showed up tonight, we just didn't do much to keep them around.."

I was actually surprised how loud we were. The crowd looked almost 50/50, in terms of ratio between Pats and Colts fans