Brady vs. Manning

[eestlinc]

yea, the Pats almost lost to the second best team in the league, and on the road in a tough, loud dome. Clearly the other teams of the league should feel good about this one.

The Pats aren't invincible, but the best bullet in the NFL's gun couldn't do the trick.

[Del Murder]

The only way the Patriots will lose a game this year is by some fluke of a mistake or injury. I don't see them playing a bad game, or a good game and still losing.

[Levian]

Bo Brady & Carly Manning were married in Days of our Lives. ;o then she was buried alive because Vivian had given her a poison that made it look like she was dead while in reality she was just paralyzed. But I guess this thread is about some other Brady and Manning. :]

[Bloodline666]

The only way the Patriots will lose a game this year is by some fluke of a mistake or injury. I don't see them playing a bad game, or a good game and still losing.

Conventional wisdom would tell us that New England and Indy will get the first round byes in the AFC, but don't count out Pittsburgh just yet.

Indy has a tougher remaining schedule than the other two (not to mention the fact that they play in a tougher division than the other two, also).

While New England still has the easiest remaining schedule, and has weaker competition within their division, I still see two possibly losable games on the Pats' remaining schedule; vs. Pittsburgh and @ New York Giants. I initially thought @ Baltimore would be tough for the Pats, but that's not the case, given the fact that the Ravens have all kinds of problems offensively, and they may have a divided locker room, given some recent comments by Ray Lewis about the Ravens offense and about Brian Billick's playcalling.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, still has a potent offense, and their defense is no pushover, either. It's no secret that the Giants' D-line, in particular Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, have a nose for the quarterback.

If Indy and NE do have a rematch in the playoffs this year (most likely the AFC Championship Game), don't be surprised if the Colts put a major beating on the Pats. The most likely cause for the Colts' loss to NE this past Sunday is the fact that four Colts players missed the game due to injury, most notably Marvin Harrison. Expect those Colts who missed the NE game due to injury to be fully healthy come playoff time.

Another thing learned in this game is that the best defense against the Pats is not necessarily the team's defensive unit, but the other team's offense; long, sustained drives are necessary to keep Tom Brady off the bench.

[El Bandito]

While Pittsburgh may have talent, I don't think their coach is good enough to hang with Belichick's game time adjustments. Don't get me wrong, Tomlin is doing a great job, but Pittsburgh's two losses were mostly caused by rookie coaching mistakes.

As for the Giants, I just don't think Eli will step up to the pressure the Patriots will bring him. I mean, if you looked at the Colts-Patriots game, the Pats' front seven was able to get past the amazing o-line of the Colts and eventually that pressure caused Peyton to make mistakes. With a inferior line and inferior pocket presence, I don't think the other Manning will be able to have nearly enough success. As for Strahan and Umenyiora, the Pats were able to function against Freeney and Mathis, I'd expect the same against the Giants' d-line.

I'm already looking forward to the AFC Championship rematch. Getting Harrison back just might be the edge Peyton needs to top the Pats. That Colts D has really impressed me so far. If they can stay healthy, I'd expect the AFC Championship to be an instant classic.