After the Patriots lost to the Colts on Sunday, many people seemed to be emphasizing the positives despite the final result on the scoreboard. Here's what Tony Massarotti wrote earlier this week on Boston.com: "The gains of this game far outweighed the losses because the Patriots last night showed us that they are getting better, which suddenly makes the second half of this season far more interesting than we might have guessed after the team's 16th offensive play on back on Sept. 7, otherwise known as The Moment Everything Changed."

That would be, according to Jim Donaldson, the optimist's view. But here's the pessimist's view, and it's one that I'm finding myself embracing more this week: The Patriots are too flawed a team to be giving away winnable games. Especially now, with the most critical stretch of the schedule coming at them. First Buffalo, then the Jets, then at Miami, then at home against Pittsburgh, before a West Coast trip to face the awful Seahawks and Raiders. But where will the Patriots be when they get out West?

If they had won on Sunday night, they would be 6-2 and have room for error in these weeks ahead. At 5-3, though, it is a very short fall into last place and total irrelevance. Three of the Patriots' five victories have come at the expense of horrible teams -- the Chiefs, the 49ers, the Rams. Considering the sorry state of the Broncos, the Patriots really only have one win against what could today be considered a quality opponent: their Week 2 defeat of the Jets. Now they don't get another turkey on the schedule until well after Thanksgiving.

What the Patriots have accomplished so far is something to be admired, but they have accomplished nothing at all until they get themselves through November with their heads still above water. Let's see what they can do.

CUTTING DOWN ON THE SACKS: In his last three games at quarterback, Matt Cassel has been sacked six, then three, then zero times (Boston Herald). Cassel shared some of the blame earlier this season when he was getting hit all the time, so he should take some of the credit as he has managed to stay upright, says offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels: "That was something that we've been working hard on in terms of trying to feel the right time to either leave the pocket or stay in the pocket. He did a nice job [against Indianapolis] of stepping up a few times, waiting for the route to unfold or develop. He didn't leave the pocket unnecessarily, and then he made some plays where he did scramble out of the pocket where it was necessary to do so."

AND HIS JOB GETS EASIER: The Buffalo Bills have not been putting much heat on the quarterback this year; they're tied for 26th in the NFL in sacks with 13 (NFL.com), and they'll continue to be without their top pass rusher, Aaron Schobel, who aggravated a foot injury about a month ago and has not played since (projo.com). Schobel has 6.5 sacks in his last six games against the Patriots.

IN PRAISE OF MAYO: Tom Curran writes that Jerod Mayo is the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year -- for the first half of the season. He's also sticking to his pick of the Eagles winning the Super Bowl -- only now he has them beating the Titans instead of the Chargers (NBC Sports).

PERCEPTIONS OF PATRIOTS VARY IN POWER RANKINGS: The Patriots have fallen from seventh to 12th in the ESPN rankings, which have the Steelers back at number three behind the Titans and the Giants. ColdHardFootballFacts has the Pats ninth, down just one spot from last week, and still higher-ranked than any of their division rivals. NFL.com's Vic Carucci has the Patriots 19th, behind all three of their division rivals.

THE OBAMA EFFECT: The president-elect's position that the tax rate should be raised for America's highest earners could result in a push by agents to negotiate contract extensions now, with big money being paid out before any change takes effect. And one of the first beneficiaries could be Redskins quarterback of the present and future Jason Campbell (ProFootballTalk.com).

UNLIKELY SOURCES: Michael David Smith of the FanHouse blog writes that the most eloquent expression of African-American pride following Obama's victory may have come from -- of all people -- former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. An excerpt: "Last night I watched a celebration. A real celebration. A real celebration, and it was a celebration for everybody, and everybody celebrated, and they kept showing this shot, and I was watching, of this little black girl and this little white girl, just sitting there crying together, and I thought, wow. I thought about Martin Luther King and his 'I Have a Dream' speech, and I thought about him saying, black kids and white kids playing together."

TOMLIN COMES CLEAN: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tried to downplay the slightly separated shoulder that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered in the season opener against Houston, but he now admits that the shoulder was never really healed. Roethlisberger aggravated the old injury during a quarterback sneak on Monday night against Washington, and the Steelers could send Byron Leftwich back onto the field for the Colts game this weekend (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

THE BRAINS BEHIND THE OPERATION: Remember when Tom Coughlin looked like a dead man walking on the Giants sideline? Clark Judge of CBS Sportsline writes that the man who saved Coughlin's job, and made New York's Super Bowl run possible, was offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.

RAIDERS GIVING UP ON THE SEASON: ESPN's Michael Smith reports that Al Davis has given his staff a list of players that he would like to unload before the season ends, and the first casualty is cornerback DeAngelo Hall. The decision to waive Hall means that the Raiders will have paid him $8 million for eight games with very few results (San Francisco Chronicle). But Oakland was apparently worried that had they kept Hall around and he was injured in a game, they would be on the hook for more money next season.

THE NEXT MAN TO BE CUT: It could be wide receiver Javon Walker, who is making $12 million this season but has made only 13 catches (Contra Costa Times).

IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT IN FOOTBALL, TRY POLITICS: Former Heisman Trophy winner Heath Shuler, who was a bust with the Washington Redskins, was re-elected to Congress yesterday. Meanwhile, former Bengals and Bucs coach Sam Wyche won a seat on the Pickens, S.C., City Council.