Week 17 Patriots Power Rankings
by Marima on Jan 4, 2012 7:57 PM EST
in New England Patriots Links
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Mission accomplished. The biggest concern heading into Week 17 was about players injuring themselves against a Buffalo team with nothing to lose. With Brady and crew finishing no worse off after the game than when they started, we can all breathe a bit easier. The club also finished the regular season on top of the AFC. In the classic words of Rodney Harrison, 'Nobody thought you could do it.' We here at the Pulpit aren't surprised at the Patriots earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The real surprise is the lack of respect New England gets from the experts around the league.
A prime example is Peter King, who thinks it's "almost scandalous" that the Patriots allowed to throw for 4,703 yards on them this year. Green Bay somehow gets a pass, however, even though the Packers' defense allowed opponents to throw for 4,796 yards on them - 93 more yards than the Patriots D. No fair, Mr. King.
The last two weeks had the Patriots ranked 3rd in the league on average, but after clinching the number one seed and winning their 8th game in a row, a few writers dropped them down a few notches so that now they're closer to 4th. Not much of a drop, but still a drop. It's understandable. This unconventional defense is scaring former supporters away. What team can win a Championship with receivers playing cornerback, special teamers at linebacker and a former college QB-turned-WR playing defense, offense and returning punts. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me to find out Julian Edelman also sang the National Anthem before the game and then stayed on the field for the coin toss.
Green Bay at least has lousy defenders who play their natural positions. I guess that makes all the difference in the world to the experts.
Pro Football Talk ranks them 2nd: Four years since their last playoff win and seven since their last Super Bowl victory, the Patriots seem primed for another title run.
Pro Football Weekly ranks them 3rd: Can't get away with spotting the Ravens or Steelers 21 points.
Elliot Harrison (NFL.com) ranks them 3rd: Remember in "Titanic" how James Cameron tried to pull the ultimate diversion with Leo DiCaprio's homeless character pulling the rich chick, so as to make you forget why we all came to the theater? No one cared about that diamond, either. One wonders if that is what's going on with the Patriots. The high-powered offense and the media love affair with Tom Brady is a diversion. When will the defense that can't stop anybody ultimately sink this ship? Believe it or not, it might not be until the Super Bowl. Who in the AFC can keep up with New England in a track meet?
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) ranks them 3rd: Tom Brady will have to be his best come playoff time based on how that defense plays. It is a unit that did make plays in the second half against Buffalo.
Don Banks (SI) ranks them 3rd: It's almost time to throw out the book when it comes to the Patriots, because logic says we should not be taking a team seriously that gave up the second-most passing yards in NFL history (trailing only this year's Packers). But they're the AFC's top seed, and they can routinely overcome deficits of 17 to 21 points in the time it takes to spell Rob Gronkowski's last name. So, it's Tom Brady's right arm and a defense that's hanging on for dear life in New England. As playoff formulas go, this is a relatively new one.
NFL.com experts rank them 3rd
Peter King (SI) ranks them 4th: Not to rain on the Pats' top-seeded parade or anything, but foes threw for 4,703 yards on New England this year. That's so bad it's almost scandalous -- 1,348 more yards in the air than the Patriots allowed in 2009.
ESPN ranks them 4th: The Patriots are sitting pretty with an eight-game winning streak, a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Vinnie Iyer (The Sporting News) ranks them 4th: Leading receiver: WR Wes Welker. He held off a late yardage surge by much bigger teammate Rob Gronkowski. Welker led the NFL in receptions (122).
Joel Thorman (SB Nation) ranks them 4th: Say what you want about this Patriots defense but they're 15th in the league in points given up and this team has now won seven straight. That's not that bad for supposedly one of the all-time worst defenses.
Brian Billick (Fox Sports) ranks them 5th: Had it not been for Drew Brees, Tom Brady would have had a record-setting year, as both surpassed Dan Marino as the single-season passing yardage leader. Brady has proven time and again that he can withstand the pressure of carrying this team, but he has never done it while dragging the 31st-ranked defense behind him. The Ravens have struggled on the road this season, but I still think they can go into New England and win. Same with the Steelers.
Michael Silver (Yahoo! Sports) ranks them 6th: How crazy is it that none of their 13 victories came against a team with a winning record – and will that absence of quality competition come back to bite them in the playoffs?
AVERAGE RANK: 3.7 (-.6)
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Packers just won a superbowl, we lost our last 3 playoff games. 2 wins away from the superbowl and if we are in it against the Packers then people may look at the defenses more objectively. Although they both suck and that game will have over 70 total points scored in it.
What is amusing Marima
is not that they ignore the fact that we were 15th in the league for scoring defense at 21.4/game. It’s the fact that five of the other playoff teams allow more points then the Pats.
Giants – 25.0
Broncos – 24.4
Lions – 24.2
Packers – 22.4
Falcons – 21.9
and the Saints were just barely ahead of us at 21.2. But that isn’t important right?
based on what?
we played the nfc east and held those teams to an average of 21/game. The AFC west we played and held to 16/game. The Lions and Packers I guess are tough but only because of those two teams. Same with the Falcons and Saints.
oh and Michael Silver is a fool
How many teams did the Patriots play end up with a winning record? 2? Are wins against other AFC teams like the Bengals or Texans really that impressive?
I think the fact that the pats didn't beat any teams with a winning record is misleading
Before last weekend we would have had 5 victories vs winning teams. thank you jets (2), raiders, broncos, and cowboys for all losing on sunday. Of course going 13-3 isn’t going to help improve your opponent’s win percentage either. And apparently it’s better for a team to have beaten the bengals twice and have all 4 losses to nonplayoff teams, including the terrible jaguars (talking about the ravens).
oh well, i dont put too much thought into someone that actually ranks the 49ers ahead of the saints.
Don Banks' ranking makes my head hurt.
So the Packers’ ACTUAL worst defense in the league, and worst passing defense in history, warrants no mention, but the Patriots’ defense is so bad that it merits “throw[ing] out the book?” Uhhhhh…..okay.
by nbradley07 on Jan 4, 2012 8:42 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
hope we win atleast 1
Just to prove these guys wrong, hope we win atleast 1 playoff game.. there is a caveat though. it should not be against Bengals / Denvers. If we do that, these guys would discount that as well. God forbid if we play against the Texans in the AFC Championship and win, that would be unacceptable as well…Finally if we do manage to win the SB, it would be BB is a genius..The defense made enough plays to win.. They were strong in the red zone etc etc etc…I am already dreaming….one game at a time :)
screw what media says
I think the thing Pats need most is a playoff win IN ORDER TO BREAK THE CURSE. It won’t matter who they beat, but one fucking win will free them up and get them going.
Thad Castle: Which one of you assholes stuck his finger in my asshole?
I'd be worried...
if all these guys had them ranked #1. 3rd or 4th sounds good. Even Silver’s 6th doesn’t strike me as totally unfair. You can make a case for each of the teams he ranked ahead of the Pats. It’s not like he put Cincy or Denver ahead of us. Last year around this time most of these guys had the Pats ranked #1, and a lot of good it did us.
Yes, it’s absurd that Green Bay’s defense gets a pass, while ours doesn’t. But I’m guessing if we won a Super Bowl last year and Green Bay was one and done, Green Bay’s defensive woes would be the big story.
This team has something to prove, and that’s a good thing.
"If you know how to cheat, start now." - Earl Weaver
It'll come as a great shock to them when Kraft hoists the Lombardi as the team bows their heads for Myra.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Belichick is looking for a new name for his boat: VI Rings sounds pretty good.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 4, 2012 11:33 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
why does everyone seem to bow to Myra
she must be either an Illuminati goddess or high priestess alien from Sirius
nfl must ban that absurd behavior and start bowing down to Prioris especially the cheerleaders
A silent moment of remembrance to the woman they dedicated their season to?
They wear her initials on their uniforms….
She gave a ton of money and time to the less fortunate….
They’re not worshipping her, they’re remembering her.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
Some people can learn from the mistakes of others, while some people need to pee on the electric fence themselves.
Belichick is looking for a new name for his boat: VI Rings sounds pretty good.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 5, 2012 8:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
>She gave a ton of money and time to the less fortunate….
the modus operandi of most people in her stratem is to loot the wealth of the little people in a big way and then sprinkle a few dollars of the looted money back to the people who they looted. sorta like stabbing someone in the back with one hand then helping them with the other. even at lower levels, even lower organize crime donates to charity.
are you accusing her of "looting the wealth of the little people in a big way"?
Unless you have some inside information on her, and not just painting her actions with a cynical brush, that statement is too harsh and definitely undeserved.
Keep the faith!
i can’t talk about her specifically but i say in general that virtually all the major charities of the world are primarily covertly controlled and funded directly and indirectly by government/military/intelligence operations and criminals. I spent quite a bit of time studying the charities. When Gates or Buffet fund charity, it is a government operation. You can’t be told this. You must learn it on your own.
Sure it is possible she may be a kind angel who is oblivious to the darkness around her. People can compartmentalize also so even the sociopath can convince themselves at some finite moments of time that it is meant to help people. That makes it easier to get into the swing of going along with the lie.
I'm sure you have
but this is still a Patriots fan blog, and without being able to specifically finger her for evil-doing and criminal or covert operations, let me suggest this isn’t the place to properly discuss it.
Keep the faith!
The whole "they haven't beaten a team with a winning record" stat is stupid
What would it really mean if they had beaten a handful of winning teams? The 2010 Pats beat a ton of teams with winning records and look at where it got them.
I knew that people didn’t believe in this Pats team but jeez—they make it sound like we are the 2008 Lions.
To be honest, I am more comfortable with being an "underdog" or "underappreciated"
Maybe I am still not over 2007 and 2010, but I find it more fascinating to prove others wrong than meeting high expectations.
Thad Castle: Which one of you assholes stuck his finger in my asshole?
Pats and Packers
Why are the Packers so good and the Patriots so bad? If you look at them both offensively and defensively they are pretty much the same. New Orleans also. Why is Baltimore so great when they only played one offence that kicked their but, San Diego.
As long as the winner is the team that scores the most points on any given day I would say the Pats / Packers Super Bowl will be one hell of an interesting game to watch. Also, if you want to beat the Patriots you are not going to do it in a shootout, it will be because the apposing team stopped Tom Brady and because they ran over the defense.
I don't care for them
For instance, the only reason they Saints rate higher is because they decided to throw the ball to the final whistle to give Brees his record. Only thing he will have going for him in the discussion of GOAT. Too bad that discussion is based off of hardware.
I have the Pats at worst 3rd. You have Greenbay as an obvious #1, and San Fran as 2, could switch them easily with the Pats and would still make sense. Brees lost to both the Niners and Packers, they suck outside, they are an arena football team. Whereas the AFC leaders aren’t that much better. You have your pick, the Ravens who have no offense if you double cover Ray Rice, the Steelers who seem to forget how to score points, or the plethora of playoff teams who backed their way in.
Pitt vs Denver could be very interesting, especially if the pass rush gets to Big Ben, and it usually does, he relies on his mobility and size as much as the Black Eyed Peas rely on AutoTune. It could easily come down to whether Tebow can get a divine intervention. Regardless I wouldn’t mind the match up against the Steelers afterwards, because Patriots love revenge games.
I agree the Pitt-Denver game will be interesting. I think Denver has a chance if they can get a good pass rush going. That’s the key. Tebow may be due for decent game.
On paper, BAL and NO look like best teams but in one and out games, it is meaningless
In the end … NE vs BAL in AFC
GB vs NO/SF in NFC
I still don't understand the people that say Baltimore looks good on paper
They are such a bipolar team especially on offense. Flacco is not a big game QB.
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