Was that the real New England Patriots?

By Dan Salem | Oct 8, 2014

Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Tom freaking Brady was at it again. Was that the real New England Patriots blowing out the Bengals? Are they the team that got crushed by the Chiefs? Overreaction, under-reaction, and lots of room for debate. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in part one of this week’s TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

So, Tom Brady. Am I right?

It seems the New England Patriots were tired of being asked about their demise and instead were “on to Cincinnati.” If all it took for a team to be prepared as all hell for a game was their head coach saying so a dozen times in a row in response to totally different questions, Gus Bradley should probably at least give that a try this week.

For the Pats, order has been restored. But more than that, this uncharacteristic plummet of the New England franchise domination was so severe, all it took was one win to get the team back into a first place tie in the AFC East. Exaggerated demise is right.

Not only did the Patriots just dismantle the last undefeated team in football, not only was Brady fired up and firing missiles throughout, not only are the Pats in first place in the East, but everything else is also shaping up in New England’s favor.

The division is atrocious, but we figured that would be the case before the season started. The schedule is also rounding into form with whatever is happening to the NFC North participants. Chicago and Detroit still might not be good football teams as I hinted at preseason.

If so, what’s in front of New England really? There are a few toughies, hosting Denver, at Green Bay, and at San Diego. Other than that? At 3-2, coming off of the death of the franchise followed by its miraculous recovery, 10 or 11 wins still seems easily attainable here. And that will surely be good enough to win the divisional crown.

It doesn’t make sense to overreact against a team. Am I overreacting too much in the other direction or are the Patriots now going to cruuuuuise into the postseason?

More from New England Patriots

DAN:

You are in fact over reacting too far in the other direction, but that doesn’t make you wrong. The Patriots beat-down by the Chiefs was just as anomalous as their beat-down of the Bengals. The Chiefs are good, the Bengals are good, and the Patriots are also good. Momentum and matchups play into the final score, but if both of those games were played again I believe both would be much, much closer.

The Patriots blowout of Cincinnati speaks volumes to that team’s issues in big games. It also reaffirms the Patriots’ ability to bounce back from losses in stunning fashion. They are looking better and better, which is what matters early in the season. New England was my preseason Super Bowl pick and I’ve seen nothing to make me waver as of yet. They are making the playoffs, after which the regular season ceases to matter and Tom Brady enters beast mode in all likelihood.

But back to the heart of the question, how good are these New England Patriots? I will admit that the AFC East is too inconsistent to be considered good. The Jets keep playing worse and making mistakes to beat themselves. Miami is hot and cold like a flu, and Buffalo is right around above average. The Patriots have the veteran leadership to overcome hot and cold and should win this division. But their schedule does them no favors.

Unlike the Jets who’s schedule gave them Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, San Diego, and Denver in successive weeks, the Patriots’ is kinder week to week. Yet that NFC North is as good as I thought in the preseason. Detroit is obviously not the same team without Calvin Johnson, but Green Bay and Chicago are formidable. Here’s how I see the Patriots’ season shaking out.

They split with two of three teams in their division. Having already lost once to Miami, and being a Jets fan, I’ll give them a split with New York and two victories over Buffalo. Losses to Denver, San Diego, and Green Bay puts six in their loss column and I’ll leave it at that.

A record of 10-6 will be excellent for New England. The schedule is difficult as every non conference game left on their schedule is against a top tier quarterback or defense. Add to that their current inconsistencies on offense, and one more loss in the division along with several others seems likely.

But does any of this matter? The Patriots win the East with ten victories. What ultimately matters is if they can avoid playing San Diego in the playoffs. Baring injuries, that is the team to currently fear. Have Denver take them down and Tom Brady can still beat Mr. Manning.

[Part two -How far can Rivers take the Chargers]

Home/New England Patriots