I hope all your religio-cultural specific celebrations - stolen from pagans who were simply glad the days were once again getting longer - resulted in dreams come true. Or mostly true.
Don't be greedy.
Quick Aside: I thought I was an atheist but maybe I'm, in fact, a pagan. Their belief system appears to be based on celestial mathematics. Like building a galactic clock out of gigantic stones to celebrate the circadian rhythm of the cosmos that takes multiple generations to complete and only makes sense one day a year level math. Yeah. Sounds like me (the making sense one day a year part).
My pigskin Christmas dreams came true early as the 2019 Patriots finally looked like the Patriots last Saturday in a much needed win over the Bills. For me it was a football rom-com; it was like a horror flick for the rest of the NFL. You know, where the hero wakes up from a nightmare only to realize it's a nightmare within a nightmare?
Before last Saturday - first round bye or not - my gridiron heroes looked like they were more likely to go one and done than make a run to the Super Bowl. Now? Well, it won't be easy but I'm back in that "it's the Patriots, though" mode of thinking.
Belichick.
Brady.
So, you're telling me there's a chance?
Yes. I'm telling you there's a chance.
There's still more to be done, of course. The Patriots need to win this Sunday in order to secure the first round bye (a metric that correlates strongly with Patriots Super Bowl wins) and while "at home, in December, against the 4-11 Dolphins" might feel like it "equals a Patriots win," as we all know, they have to play the game.
Stats Are For Losers
The Patriots have given up 198 points meaning they need to pitch a shutout against the Dolphins to finish the season giving up less than 200. They would become just the 8th defense in the history of the NFL to accomplish this statistical metric.
The good citizens of Patriots Nation would certainly like to see New England's top-rated defense join this historical pantheon; however, as Patriots fans we all know what stats are for, don't we?
Losers.
I'm sure Patriots defenders are well aware of the numbers and I have no doubt they will play with some significant want to this Sunday, but I also believe this:
All they really care about is the W.
The bye week. Getting Edelman healthy, Marcus Cannon healthy, Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones healthy. Rest. Self-scouting. Recharging the batteries.
Will I be rooting for the shutout? Of course! I'm rooting for something along the lines of a 42-0 Patriots win with Brady throwing 4 TD passes to 4 different receivers, Sony Michel going over 100 yards rushing and scores from both the Defense and Special Teams. I want me some Jarrett Stidham in the 4th quarter. I want Tom Brady and Julian Edelman on the sideline, plotting another run through the AFC to the Super Bowl, sharing a smile that shakes the pigskin souls of every playoff-bound team west of the Connecticut River. I want to wish I was a fear vampire so I could feast on the terror emanating from the fans of the Ravens, Chiefs, and Texans, the 49ers, Saints, and Packers as they let doubt creep into their minds in the shape of a dark, hooded figure stalking the opposite sideline, and that doubt simmers and reduces to a delicious roux of utter gridiron terror. The New England Patriots as nightmare fuel for the rest of the NFL.
But, yeah.
All I really care about is the W.
No comments:
Post a Comment