Dennis & Callahan talk Pats, 49ers, and Jaguars with Greg Bedard (by WEEIVideo)
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
https://www.patspropaganda.com/dennis-callahan-talk-pats-49ers-and-jaguars/
Predicting the AFC playoff race
With just two weeks to go there’s a lot of speculation of where the Patriots will end up in the AFC, and what their path to the Super Bowl will be. So here’s our take on how the chips will fall for anyone looking to do a little NFL betting.
1. Houston Texans (14-2)
Even if Houston loses one of their final games they won’t lose two and they have the head to head tie breaker over the Broncos. We can pretty much lock them in for the top seed.
2. New England Patriots (12-4)
The Patriots won’t lose either of their last two games but they’d need help and that means…
3. Denver Broncos (12-4)
Denver is going to lose to Kansas City. I know it might sound crazy, but Romeo Crennel has a history of giving Peyton Manning fits. Last time four weeks ago the score was just 17-9. Call it a hunch. Call it homerism. But I think Romeo and Scott Pioli are going to send the Pats one final thank you.
4. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Has any team dropped back to earth more in the last few weeks? Ray Lewis’ return should help, but they seem like Super Bowl long shots now after looking like favorites early in the season. They’re in for a tough one against a Giants team that needs a win this weekend.
5. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
Colts should beat the Chiefs but drop the finale to the Texans. They’re unlikely to make it past the Wild Card round but talk about a season that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
I’ve got the Steelers beating the Bengals and Browns to get in at 9-7, though both games will be closer than most would think. Pittsburgh is a secret scary team as the 6th seed. No one will want to play them with that defense.
White Christmas? Hell no! I’ll be dreaming of a Rainy Patriots Christmas instead.
Get ‘em while they’re still wet over at the Townie News Store.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/townienews-white-christmas-hell-no-ill-be/
NEW PatsPropaganda & Frenz today 11am EST: 49ers Buzzkill Recap
NEW PatsPropaganda & Frenz today 11am EST: 49ers Buzzkill Recap
Join me and Frenz as we try to figure out what happened against the 49ers and try even harder to get excited about the Jaguars game.
Patriots will be better next time vs. 49ers if there is a Super showdown – Patriots – Boston.com
Patriots will be better next time vs. 49ers if there is a Super showdown – Patriots – Boston.com
Encouraging wrap up from Bedard, but this issue remains the prime concern:
On defense, the Patriots started in their 4-3, then switched back and forth with a 3-4 while going through constant changes in the front seven, especially on the line, that kept the unit from getting in a flow. That led to the most problematic factor, and most concerning if there is a rematch, for the Patriots: a distinct lack of pressure from the defense. Despite blitzing the 49ers on 40 percent of the dropbacks, the Patriots only came up with pressure on 16.7 percent of the dropbacks. The latter figure is what the Patriots do against Mark Sanchez of the Jets (16.7 in first matchup, 15.4 in the second). It’s OK against a quarterback who has accuracy problems, but Colin Kaepernick is far from that — and he wasn’t flawless against the Patriots.
As things stand right now, the Patriots are at No. 3, and they would face either the Bengals or Steelers in the wild card round, and then, the Broncos the following week in Denver in a divisional playoff game. If they dropped to No. 4 – mostly likely, into a tiebreaker they would lose with the Ravens – they would face the Colts in the first round at Gillette, and then, on to a meeting with the Texans. On paper, those are far more favorable matchups than the idea of traveling to Denver and facing the Broncos, particularly when you consider the fact that the Patriots had no issue beating Houston and Indy.
Interesting points by Chris and I’m inclined to agree with him. The 4th seed looks like a better road, but we’ll have to wait until week 17 for that. The problem is you never know, the Broncos could lose one and then the door opens to the two seed. And yeah, two seed > four seed.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/as-things-stand-right-now-the-patriots-are-at-no/
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 15 DVOA Ratings
FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Week 15 DVOA Ratings
Great stuff throughout this one, one of the most interesting Patriots nuggets:
Losing to San Francisco made it very likely (over 70 percent) that the Patriots will be the third seed, which means they need to win an extra game and then travel to Denver in order to go to the AFC Championship. That change drops the Patriots’ chances of winning it all from about 24 percent to just 19 percent. Denver is now our Super Bowl favorite at 20.1 percent.