Pats Limping Into Playoffs After Dolphins Loss

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Born and raised in Miami, Florida. I used to play baseball for a living; I walked a lot and didn't hit enough. Now I write words for a living and drop absolute bombs every Sunday for my men's league team.

The Sopranos is more groundbreaking than it is good.

A month ago we were talking about the New England Patriots possibly being the best team in the AFC. They were winners of seven straight. They had just beaten the Bills on the road in a key divisional clash. The running game and defense were propelling them, while Mac Jones was minimizing mistakes and making plays when he needed to. The playoffs were a formality; we were just talking about how far they’d go once they got there.

Fast forward to today, the Patriots are still playoff-bound, but are losers of three of their last four. Mac Jones and the defense have not looked good, save for in a 50-10 shellacking of the lowly Jaguars. They are limping into the postseason, unfortunately.

Pick Your Poison

The Pats will play either the Bills or the Bengals in their first playoff game since Tom Brady’s departure. They will be on the road. Who would you rather face?

I’m taking Buffalo every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Bill feasts on young quarterbacks. Always has. But Joe Burrow is on some kind of roll right now, and Josh Allen is at least a more familiar danger. New England split its two meetings against the Bills in the regular season, the first one being a game in which three (3) passes were thrown by Mac Jones. The book is out on Josh Allen; take away his running lanes and the deep ball. He just has such incredible physical gifts that it’s tough to stop him even when you know exactly what you must do.

Still, give me him over a red-hot Bengals offense right now.

Just Happy to be Here

Regardless of what happens against the Bengals or Bills, this has been a tremendous season for the New England Patriots. Rookie QB. Coming off a losing season. You win 10 games and make it to the playoffs. Good stuff and a good foundation to build upon for next season and beyond.

I think this season ends next week, though.

Whoever they play will be a red-hot team at home. The Pats are a wrecking ball when the flow of the game goes their way. But their offense is limited. They aren’t built to score quickly or overcome any kind of deficit, which is likely when you’re going up against two dynamic teams in Cincy or Buffalo. I think they’re one and done in the playoffs, which, again, is nothing to be ashamed of, all things considered.

The 2021 New England Patriots were a fun team to watch.

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Episode 276