Are We There Yet?

I’m really not comfortable with all this positivity. It just makes me think something bad is going to happen. Won’t anyone pick against the Patriots this weekend? What? Adam Schefter is picking the Lions to win? Yes!

Wait—What?

Schefter’s taking the Lions? Is he serious?

 

It’s been variously described as “the gauntlet” or “the six (or seven) labors of Brady;” the six game stretch – later extended to seven games when the Dolphins got hot – against the Bears (when we still thought they were good), Broncos, Colts, Lions, Packers, Chargers (which looked like it might be an AFC Championship preview four weeks ago) and Dolphins. New England was 5-2-0 but they were coming off a less than convincing win over the Jets and Pats fans were still waking in a cold sweat at 2:00am, reliving the pigskin nightmare otherwise known as the Monday Night Massacre. Local pundits looked at the next six games and predicted a 3-3-0 record for the Patriots. Three games in, New England is 8-2-0 and nobody is picking the Patriots to lose the next three (or four).

Is this a trap game? Well, yes. It is. The Lions are the most underwhelming division leader in the NFL. (Yes, I stand by that even after watching the Eagles stomp on their dicks with both feet in Green Bay.) In case you haven’t heard, Matthew Stafford is 0-15-0 on the road against teams with a winning record. (Okay, you knew that. Did you know the Patriots are 31-3 in the second half of the regular season since 2010? Oh. You knew that, too.) Despite having the #1 scoring defense in the NFL, the Lions are a meager +32 in point differential. (The Eagles and Cowboys, also 7-3-0 atop the NFC East are a +48 and +49, respectively. The Packers are a +105, hysterically. Seriously, Green Bay looks crazy good.) Speaking of the Packers (if only parenthetically), the Patriots do have to keep from looking past Detroit to the roadie at Green Bay or they will assuredly get their asses kicked. I’m not sure I could humor such a set of circumstances. Matthew Stafford beating the Patriots deep repeatedly; yukking it up on the sidelines. I’m sure I’ve seen worse things.

Uh… Hmm.

It’s hard not to think ahead.

The toughest game the Patriots have left is the game with the Packers. So, let’s say they lose that game. Let’s say they win the rest (why not?). 13-3-0. Every team that could match that in the AFC already has 3 losses and loses the tiebreaker with the Pats. Home field throughout the playoffs. So key.

This Patriots team has a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl win. New England ranks #7 on offense, #14 on defense (perhaps a bit misleading given the offenses they’ve faced) and I have no idea where they rank on special teams but I suspect it’s Top 5. Whatever. The point is they’re pretty good at just about everything you need to do on a football field. They hung a 50-burger on the Bears, then took out two of the best teams in AFC, beating the Broncos 43-21 and the Colts 42-20. They look good. They look damned good.

It’s hard to ignore that.

The Patriots should beat the Lions. I think they’re playing with a chip on their shoulders. All the proof I need was provided by Rob Gronkowski last Sunday night. First he blocks Sergio Brown into the expensive seats. Then he scores a signature smash and dash, catch and run, leap through a hoop of fire scoring play. Gronk is not taking your shit, Sergio. Gronk is not taking any shit. This is a not taking any shit kind of team, really. It isn’t just Brady; they all seem to play like 6^th round draft picks.

I get the feeling Belichick just randomly shows film from the Kansas City game in meetings. This is the lesson. Any team can be beaten. The margin between victory and defeat is translucently thin. How did the Steelers lose to the Jets? How did the Broncos lose to the Rams? How did the Chiefs lose to the Raiders? These things happened. Chiefs 41, Patriots 14. That happened. Let’s watch some second quarter action! Or just a passing reference while breaking down film, something like, yeah you made the same mistake in the Kansas City game.

The Lions are a good team and they are sure to put up a fight but I like this Patriots team. They feel a lot more like 2004 than 2007. 

Maybe it’s okay to feel good about this game.