And the Patriots lose.

[positivehxcgo]

Even with all the penalties, the injuries have caught up to em.

I still think we'll take the division, but not sure how far we can go with a defense that's lost so many starters this season.

 

[mretzloff]

That one play where Cam Newton dodged three or four tackles to get a first down was epic. As a Yankees fan living in the Charlotte area, I could not be more happy to see the Patriots lose.

 

[jpakstis]

This loss doesn't hurt too much. Of course the refs blew that call (even if its not PI because its "uncatchable" it still is defensive holding since there is no "catchability" element). We just need to stay ahead of the Colts for the second seed and even if we don't, we still get a home game while the offense rounds into form. If you were to tell me we had a shot at the second seed during that 1st game against the Jets, when Brady looked like he wanted to murder Dobson and Thompkins, I'd have thought it was a pure fantasy. Once we get past the Broncos, its the Texans, Browns, Dolphins, Ravens, and Bills. A good shot at running that table and being 12-4 (assuming the loss to the Broncos). Colts have Cardinals, Titans, Bengals, Texans, Chiefs, and Jaguars. Maybe two more losses in there somewhere?

Overall, I was pretty impressed with our D. They couldn't run on us all night, despite that being their strength and our weakness. On their final drive, we were down to one CB, and had guys like Ebner playing in the secondary. Talib will be fine (I hope!) and Dennard will probably be back next week and Gregory will be back soon. And both in '04 (Earthwind Moreland) and in '11 (Sterling Moore and Phillip Adams) we made the playoffs with guys literally signed off the street and with WRs playing CBs (Troy Brown and then Edelman).

The back-breaking plays were Newton running the ball really and sometimes the other team just does that. When he did that crazy scramble, its not like the Pats broke contain, he just did some backyard football moves and slipped by everyone.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Injuries + they had a terrible off season in numerous ways. For instance, the Pro Bowl tight end may have killed a guy (said in Ron Burgundy voice). Brady took a pay cut and they brought in... Danny Amendola?!?!

They're still the Patriots, so they'll probably win the division.

Cam Newton looks great. I like him. He always seems like he's about to have a giggle fit in post-win post game interviews. He's like what Dwight Howard wants to be.

 

[jpakstis]

Injuries + they had a terrible off season in numerous ways. For instance, the Pro Bowl tight end may have killed a guy (said in Ron Burgundy voice). Brady took a pay cut and they brought in... Danny Amendola?!?!

Yeah, the Hernandez thing was a...umm...killer. It happened (i.e. he may have murdered someone) after free agency so they couldn't adequately replace him. Living in Boston, there is nothing more I want to do than re-live the "Welkah" debate, but Amendola is getting healthier and is contributing, so I'm not willing to say that was a bust.

They're still the Patriots, so they'll probably win the division.

That Jets loss to the Bills (Dave & Busters? I actually like Rex Ryan as a coach, but that seemed like a silly thing to do) really opened it up for us. I was most scared of them, because they have a great D and were starting to look like one of those "don't screw up" offenses that can really cause us fits (i.e. the 2009 Ravens and the 2010 Jets). Then they go out and really stink it up against the Bills across the board.

Cam Newton looks great. I like him. He always seems like he's about to have a giggle fit in post-win post game interviews. He's like what Dwight Howard wants to be.

Heh, my "angry Boston fan" part of me was getting annoyed after their first TD when Newton grabbed the ball from the guy who scored and started running toward the stands. I thought he was showboating and acting up so I was all full of righteous indignation, but then he went and gave the ball to a little kid. Some crow eaten on my part.

 

[StillShaving]

Heh, my "angry Boston fan" part of me was getting annoyed after their first TD when Newton grabbed the ball from the guy who scored and started running toward the stands. I thought he was showboating and acting up so I was all full of righteous indignation, but then he went and gave the ball to a little kid. Some crow eaten on my part.

Beside his football ability, that is one of his most attractive qualities. Whether at home or away, and regardless of the little person's race and creed if you are a 6-8 yo sitting in the first five rows wearing a Newton/#1 Teal jersey you might the lucky recipient of a TD football. A very positive gesture from Cam!!

 

[jpakstis]

Beside his football ability, that is one of his most attractive qualities. Whether at home or away, and regardless of the little person's race and creed if you are a 6-8 yo sitting in the first five rows wearing a Newton/#1 Teal jersey you might the lucky recipient of a TD football. A very positive gesture from Cam!!

I've always liked him, without really any reason and despite what outwardly seems like a shady college career (note I have no information about whether Newtown was or was not involved in the shady activity, just that it outwardly appears shady). I watched that "Roll Tide/War Eagle" 30 for 30 documentary about Auburn/Alabama and he really come across as personable and possessing the proper perspective on things.

Somewhat relatedly I'd love to read some "inside the locker room" account about that 2008 Florida Gators team. Tebow, Cam, Aaron Hernandez, the Pouncey brothers, Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, Brandon Spikes, Janoris Jenkins, Joe Haden, etc. You could make an NFL all-star team of that '08 team, both on offense and defense, and all of them have been the subject of intense scrutiny, have had run-ins with the law (an understatement for Hernandez), or have PED suspensions/links.

Back to the Patriots, I read that Belichick showed the whole team the ending of the Browns/Lions game from '09, where the Lions won 38-37 after a PI call in the end zone exactly like the one Monday night with no time remaining and the Lions scored a TD on the untimed down. The report said it really resonated with the team and that Belichick's point was basically that its a coin flip over the call (called in '09, not called Monday night) so don't let it get to that point.

 

[crleftwich]

Panthers fan here. Was so excited about the win. The game literally came down to the last second on the last play. Had it not been intercepted, the call for holding would have stood. Wow...it was one hell of a game.