Projo Pats Blog

Now that the New England Patriots have escaped Seattle with a victory, they can focus on the Oakland Raiders, a team whose players were overheard laughing and joking after they were destroyed on national TV, 34-7, by the San Diego Chargers. While the Seahawks put forth a gallant effort yesterday, you can't really expect the gutless Raiders to do the same. Assuming they get out of Oakland with a victory, New England will play Arizona at home, a team that yesterday clinched its division and has virtually no chance of a first-round playoff bye. The Cardinals have already been exposed as a soft team on their previous trips East (against the Redskins, the Jets and the Eagles), so you have to wonder how they're going to perform in the cold of December in Foxboro, with little on the line. Then comes the Buffalo Bills, a team whose playoff hopes were essentially crushed yesterday in Toronto.

So the Patriots, who as everyone has heard by now have yet to win more than two games in a row this season, would seem to have an excellent chance of finishing the season with four straight wins, playing against teams that will have little motivation but pride, and which have shown little of that commodity during much of the season. The question is, will running the table and going 11-5 be enough to get New England into the playoffs? There still seems to be no chance of catching Indianapolis, with the Colts' easy schedule and tie-breaker edge over the Patriots (thank you, Jabar Gaffney).

The Baltimore Ravens, who are one game ahead of New England for the second wild-card spot, have back-to-back meetings coming with the Steelers (at home) and the Cowboys (on the road). They have a 7-3 conference record, against New England's 5-5, at this point in the season. So the Patriots really need the Ravens to lose to both the Steelers and the Cowboys, especially since Baltimore's final game is against the Jaguars, who have quit. And the Ravens are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won seven of their last eight games, and each of those seven by 10 points or more.

That leaves a division win as the most promising possibility. The Patriots are now in a three-way tie for the division lead with the Jets and the Dolphins. New York is at home against Buffalo next week, while Miami hosts San Francisco; the Jets then travel to Seattle while the Dolphins visit Kansas City. Then the Jets host the Dolphins to close out the season. Let's assume (and I don't, but let's assume it anyway -- for fun) that there is still a three-way tie at the top of the division entering Week 17, with all three teams at 10-5. Then let's say the Pats beat the Bills to go to 11-5. If the Jets beat the Dolphins, they finish at 11-5, but they would win the division on the strength of their superior division record (they would be 5-1, compared with 4-2 for the Pats).

What if the Dolphins won? Well, the scenario here isn't good for the Patriots, either. If Miami and New England finished tied atop the AFC East with identical 11-5 records, they would have the same division record and the same record in common games (both would be 9-3), so the fourth tie-breaker for the division title would be employed -- conference record. And the edge would go to Miami, which would be 8-4 to the Pats' 7-5.

So the most likely scenario for the Patriots to make the playoffs is for them to win all their remaining games, while both the Dolphins and the Jets each lose at least one of their final three. Alternatively, Baltimore could lose two of its final three. The odds remain tough, even after a gritty victory yesterday.

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH: We've all run out of superlatives to describe Wes Welker (projo.com). If there is any other candidate for 2008 Patriots MVP, I'd love to hear who it is.

MIXED BAG OF A DAY: On the day that Stephen Gostkowski connected on the longest field goal of his season, he also missed a chance to recover a fumble, saving what turned out to be a touchdown-producing drive for the Seahawks (The Boston Globe).

NOW THAT'S DIVERSIFICATION: The restless Kraft family continues to explore new enterprises, with the report today that the Kraft Group wants to build a 1.5 million-square-foot office and research park, possibly for biotechnology companies, in Foxboro (Boston Globe).

AN EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: I love John Tomase's line in today's Boston Herald about how the Patriots "are doing their best to create jobs in this struggling economy," and all openings are on the defense.

END OF A VERY LONG ERA: The remarkable, 48-year-old Morten Andersen, who couldn't land a contract this season after playing the last two years with the Falcons, has finally decided to officially retire (projo.com). The kicker, a native of Denmark, is the NFL's all-time scoring leader -- and he will be for a very long time.

THANKS, PLAX! I'm not sure who got the game ball for the Eagles yesterday after their season-saving upset victory over the Giants, but to read the comments of Philadelphia's defensive players, you might think they'll be sending it to Plaxico Burress (NFL.com).

AT LEAST HE WAS ON THE FIELD: It wasn't a good day for Burress' clubbing buddy, Antonio Pierce, either (New York Times).

FLASHBACK AND ROLE REVERSAL: Did Tony Romo's third interception of the day, the one to Deshea Townsend that put the Steelers on top late in the fourth quarter, remind anyone else of the Steelers' Neil O'Donnell throwing the ball right to the Cowboys' Larry Brown in Super Bowl XXX?

DISSED BY PRIME TIME: Here are Romo's lifetime stats in 10 December starts: four wins, six losses, nine touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a 69.76 quarterback rating. That's why Deion Sanders said on NFL Network's postgame coverage that Romo is a guy you can't count on in the clutch.

AND THE HITS KEEP ON COMING: Sanders' criticism of Romo at least seems more enlightened than Jerry Jones' assertion that running back Marion Barber isn't tough enough to play hurt (Fort Worth Star Telegram).

HOLDING THE LINE: In other Cowboys news, Dallas reportedly signed right tackle Marc Colombo to a contract extension, ensuring that the Cowboys' entire starting offensive line is under contract at least through the 2010 season (Dallas Morning News).

JUDGE BLOCKS LIONS' FIRST VICTORY: Poor Detroit. There's a good chance that just one thing prevented the Lions from ending their run at the first 0-16 season in NFL history, and that was the decision by a county judge to block the steroid-related suspensions of Vikings defensive linemen Pat and Kevin Williams (St. Paul Pioneer Press). The Williamses made a couple of big plays in the Vikings' three-point victory, and drew double-teams that helped free up their linemates in other situations.

THE SHOW AFTER THE SHOW: A Fox spokesman has apologized for an "obvious oversight" that resulted in a partially exposed tight end Visanthe Shiancoe ending up on the broadcast of the Vikings' owner presenting yesterday's game ball to head coach Brad Childress (St. Paul Pioneer Press). How did that happen, anyway? I mean, a coach gets the game ball after his team beat Detroit by three points?

THE DEATH WATCH CONTINUES: On the day that Romeo Crennel's Browns lost again, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that the team is formulating a plan that could lead to Marty Schottenheimer's return as head coach.

BAD NEWS BEFORE THE KICKOFF: On the day before the Carolina Panthers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the NFC South title and a first-round playoff bye on the line, Panthers offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges was arrested and charged with simple assault and battery and communicating threats (Charlotte Observer).

 Tags  Football Today NFL playoffs

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