The problem with this stats stuff imo is that at the end you need only one game over- or underachieving and your dreams end in January.

We dropped a lot of balls but if Marshall makes the catch the Jets have a really nice lead in the game. This could as well be the case in a playoff game. Our offense drops the balls and the Jets have the better ending. Nobody cares about regular season anymore.
The Broncos at least still have the slim hope that Manning gets his act together. Everyone knows what he was capable of. Is it likely? Probably not but its also not 100% out of question.

I think we dont have to be afraid of anyone if we dont lose more players to injury but I also have in mind that one bad day could easily end all dreams this season. So I am always humble before every game and luckily we have a team which always prepares 100%.

I'm guessing we all watched the 2010 playoffs. or for that matter the 2007 SB, so I imagine we all do understand that upsets happen

NOBODY has played a murderers row. There are only 3-4 good teams in the whole league...and maybe they only look good because they've played a bunch of crappy teams?

You make a good point about the schizo nature of the posts The latter post was my opinion about the Broncos from watching some of their games. The footballoutsiders part was just an observation from what I read.

They do have an elite D and that unit is playing very well. That doesn't change the fact that their O has tried to give away some games and they really wouldn't be 6-0 without the breaks all going their way. Their D has a lot to do with it, but they've still been lucky.

Footballoutsiders ratings takes strength of schedule into account. I'm not worried about Denver vs the Pats either. Doubt their O can score enough.

Hightower is a monster. There was a time during his rookie season when the local media were calling him a bust and man do they look bad now. He was dominant last season and has looked soo good this season and in the middle of all that was his game saving tackle in the superbowl.

Collins is the perfect compliment to hightower and it seems like every game its one of the 2 that is the stand out player on D. Hopefully they get these 2 signed up longterm and not let them hit free agency.

Packers/Broncos this week and Packers/Panthers next week. Should be interesting to watch. Then Pats/Broncos the week after.

My guess is they sign them both and let Jones go. Would be cool if they could sign all 3 but not sure if that's possible.

Maybe not having to pay a 1st rounder next offseason will help them sign all 3!

Stole this from the Fins thread. Look at Patrick Chung listed as the 9th best safety in the league so far this year! Anyone know if these ratings are reliable?

Id view their numerical grades with a lot of skepticism but have been pleasantly surprised at how well Chung has played this year. They had him covering Hilton for a material number of snaps against the Colts and he didn't get torched.

I work with a GB fan. He's the only guy I know who doesn't hate on the Patriots.

Last season, he pestered me into a friendly bet on the GB/NE game, loser owes the winner a drink. An odd bet, as we don't socialize, I've only bumped into him at a local bar a few times. Fast forward to this season, and I still hadn't paid off.

As we all know, I started my "run the table" talk in Week Two. When I mentioned this to him, he replied that his team might do it,too.

After Week Three, the sports books put up odds on this happening. Another coworker came back from a Vegas trip with a $20 ticket on each team, getting 12-1 odds (regular season only; it opened at 20-1, still a terrible bet, but what the hell). He told us he thought we might want to buy them, but if we didn't, he didn't mind being stuck with them. We were both delighted to buy them.

...but then Packers Fan asks me if I want to go partners on these bets. No way, I'm thinking--my team is way better, and my schedule is way easier.

But because I felt bad about not having bought this guy a stupid drink yet, I meekly agreed.

Holy God, that GB schedule is a nightmare. Besides the two games mentioned above,they've still got DAL, @OAK, @ARIZ, and two with MIN. And they're way more injured than we are.

(Finally paid off last week. Such a relief to get that albatross off my neck.)

Wouldn't have expected anything else out of the Lolphins. Brady is on another level this year and it's great to watch.

This team might turn out to be the best Pats team ever.

This offense is just ridiculous. Seems like they always leave some plays out on the field and still put up 30+. Brady is on a different level atm and its amazing to watch. He is playing better than he has in years.

Lewis takes the offense to another level. Just almost impossible to take away him, Gronk, and Edelman and the remaining options can play as well. Plus Brady makes the right read nearly always. Just hope they stay healthy/get linemen back. Too bad Stork and Andrews are both pretty much centers.

The defense is improving every game.

Didnt stat check it but saw this tweet earlier

Chandler Jones is having that breakout season. Hightower is the #1 Run stuffing LB accoring to PFF and Collins is just a menace in the middle of the field and you got McCourty manning centerfield. Elite talent all over that defense.

My hot takes:

-IDK where Dion Lewis came from but when dumb people criticize BB as a GM, Lewis is just another player to point at and say, um no BB is GOAT at everything.

-Everyone knows now we have the best QB, TE, and coach in the league....what they didnt realize is that we also have the best kicker/ punter / and gunner as well...the best overall special teams in the league.

- Our run defense the last two weeks has been incredible. 89 yards to the Jets, and just 15 yards to the Dolphins. When all is said and done this week NE will have a top 10 rush defense easily.

- With 5 more sacks tonight, we will likely be a top 3 unit in team sacks this year after this week. These boys are getting after it, and they are fun to watch. Chandler Jones beating that double team for the sack was so tasty.

-Just a great, fun game to watch. Usually i cant watch the Pats and play poker at the same time because concentration suffers....but games like tonight make it possible to do both.

You mean Dion "drafted by the Eagles, traded to the Browns, cut, signed by the Colts, then cut" Lewis? I was slow to come around but he's obviously something special.

Loved JoJo LaFell's block on the Gronk TD in the 1st.

Also chuckled at Tannehill channelling Steve Grogan in the 4th (making the tackle after throwing a pick)

NEXT!!!

Had to be injuries right?

A talent evaluater would have to be blind to miss how special this guy is. But if you can't stay on the field you pretty much end up cut in this league.

He had a broken leg after he was with the Browns.

Like a lot of guys that made their careers work here (Faulk, Woodhead, Edelman, etc.) he was probably tagged as "undersized".

5th round choice by the Eagles out of Pitt, he was buried behind McCoy, so he never had a chance to crack the lineup. Got traded, then got injured.

He got two guys on that one, the big block came after he cleared out his original guy. That was great.

So it looks like the "Brady can't throw a properly inflated football" jokes that were abundant in the preseason have all dried up.

Yea I think it was Bleacher Report did a pretty good bio.

The system being a perfect fit is a big deal too, he basically just has to run screens and a couple short routes and then make linebackers look silly when the defense is focusing on other receivers. I don't want to get hyped about "thunder and lightning" or whatever but it's really cool to see him rotate snaps with Blount, it seems to legitimately screw up the defense.