There’s a lot of truth to this. How many times have we seen great or shitty first halves totally rendered meaningless by an opposite performance in the second half?
Pats are 4-4 away from Home. Is that something we should put some stake in?
The Ravens win took a lot of the stink off of this team that was woefully inconsistent on the road this year. Think about the games at the Jets, at the Panthers, at Texans, and at the Bengals. They were inept in large portions of all four of those games.
Still, I think this Patriots team has evolved to a point where they’re turning in close to 60 minute games every weekend. Really the last five games they’ve been pretty consistent. They’ll sputter on a drive or two every game, but bounce back on both sides of the ball.
Still, playing in Denver in the AFC Championship will be a challenge for a variety of reasons, but I have confidence the Pats will bring one of their best games.
The Broncos signed Cole. Should we be worried he gives then intel on us and the D? He did actually play for us this year. (Unlike Branch)
I’m going to agree with Belichick here and say that any advantage is overrated. Everything is on film if they’re looking to see how the Pats play and how they played the Broncos the first time. Was Cole sitting with Belichick in recent weeks discussing what kind of twists they might throw at Peyton a second time around? Uh, no.
Think about it from Cole’s perspective, he’s at the bottom end of the information train and likely only really has any perspective from the secondary and special teams perspective.
Could he tell the Broncos what the Pats think Manning struggles against? What kind of concepts they wanted to run against him the first time around? Sure, but again, they could likely determine that from watching film. And honestly, I could tell them that at this point. (No I won’t sign with you, Broncos)
Cole, nor any other player, is that privy to any information that could legitimately swing the course of the game. He might have some little nuggets here or there, but at the end of the day this game will be determined between the lines.
I don’t blame the Broncos for signing him though. They needed a cornerback and the fact that Cole was on the Patriots roster, might have some added incentive going against them, and could possibly have a little info makes him a good signing.
But is the inside info inside Marquice Cole’s head going to be some huge revelation? Nope.
Brady and Belichick are 18-7 in the playoffs together entering Sunday’s game, which is their 11th trip to the postseason in the past 13 years. The other three head coaches who will be working in the final four this weekend – Denver’s John Fox, Seattle’s Pete Carroll and San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh – are a combined 16-11 in the NFL postseason, with 14 playoff berths.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/brady-and-belichick-are-18-7-in-the-playoffs/
@DeRoyDesigns makes supersweet Boston sports art. His #AFCChampionship poster has us Christmas Eve excited
https://www.patspropaganda.com/lolpats-deroydesigns-makes-supersweet-boston/
The Broncos are much more susceptible to the pass (ranked 21st by Football Outsiders), and now are playing without their best pass rusher, Von Miller, and a valuable cornerback in Chris Harris. When Harris was injured against the Chargers, quarterback Philip Rivers got hot and brought San Diego back in the game. Quentin Jammer struggled as a replacement. Jammer, rookie Kayvon Webster or Tony Carter are all options that Brady could look to target. And in each of their past three victories, the Patriots got out to big halftime leads, which are more conducive to running: 17-0 (Baltimore), 16-3 (Buffalo) and 21-7 (Indianapolis). The Patriots also played the Bills and Colts in the rain, when it’s harder to throw the ball, making the run seemed like a logical option. The forecast for Sunday in Denver: around 50 degrees and little wind, which could make both teams eager to throw the ball.
New England Patriots riding ground game led by LeGarrette Blount | The MMQB with Peter King
Everyone’s in love with the running game now, and for good reason, but the Broncos defense certainly cries out to be passed on. I think the Pats will be balanced and if they can get a lead, then they can hammer it home with the running game. Big key will be if Aaron Dobson can play to help draw some coverage on the outside.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-broncos-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the-pass/