Success

The Pats had a ton of luck - which takes nothing away from them being well run, well coached and well quarterbacked. The biggest luck they had was the fact that their division rivals bumbled their way through 2 decades. Without doubt, New England's excellence had something to do w/ that. But it was more than that. It was really a perfect storm of all 3 teams failing to find a true top-tier QB, or coach, and never giving the Pats any kind of challenge to win the division, and even to get the 1 or 2 seed most years.

Agree w/ those here saying the Chiefs will get the 1 now. It's kind of a drag how easy the road seems to be for them now, especially in a year when they have taken a step back. But part of winning a title is getting some breaks along the way. Hoping we can squeak in & provide at least some resistance.

Then why don't you switch? I don't get that. If you say "how would you not?" Why DON'T you?

I heard the Jets had a "players only" meeting this week. I hope it was as impactful (and has the same results) as the last couple of Bills "players only" meetings..

Maybe - but they're a pretty bad team. It wouldn't surprise me if they ended up w/ a losing record, too.

I'm a lifer. Been through ALL of it. My bookends as a fan are the Cincy playoff loss w/ Joe Ferguson at the helm, and last year's Cincy loss. Full circle. If the last 40+ years didn't break me, 5-5 with a couple of tough losses certainly won't.

You may be right. It's hard to tell at this point. But they have shown in the past that they can start slow or have a bad stretch, and then go on an extended run against both good & bad teams. I think they can do that again, for sure. I wouldn't guarantee it - but it's not some remote possibility either.

So, you have us losing to every good team on the schedule. Interesting.

We'll have a better idea after Philly. IF we can win the next 2 - it wouldn't surprise me at all if we were at least in the 7 spot, and possibly back to game behind Miami.

What's the reasoning there? I feel like all that needs to happen is that the Phins need to lose one more game than the Bills before we face off against them in the last game. Maybe not likely or probable, but not that much of a longshot, and not an impossibility.

Burrow's injury just adds to the narrative that anything can happen 8 weeks out. Some of the posts on here make it seem like it's impossible for a 5-5 team at this point. A ton of things are going to happen between now & January. We're still very much in the mix - for the WC, and for the division.

This doesn't compute for me. Because they beat us by under a score the past 2 times we played? I personally can't wait to get the Jags without a jet lag disadvantage.

If it's NOT our year, I have no problem w/ KC winning again. That level gets harder & harder to sustain. Other teams like to acquire title-winning players. And if we somehow manage to squeak into the playoffs now - I like our chances a little better w/ Cincy out of the picture. I feel for them, though. Same kind of market as the Bills, and same empty trophy case. This is a gut punch for any team's fans.

Not sure, because they'll have to pay quite a few players next year, who have high price tags.

I mean, that's basically losing to every good team we have to face. We're a good team that has been playing badly. We're not a bad team hoping for breaks & miracles.

I think this team has fight in them. They have shown in the past that they can overcome bad starts and go on extended runs to put themselves in good playoff position. I think they'll embrace this challenge, and I plan to as a fan. Would I have loved to roll through the season and have the playoffs locked up in a couple of weeks? Of course. But this kind of situation can also be fun, hanging on every game and seeing a team overcome adversity. It all starts Sunday. Who knows - maybe Brady is the guy they needed.

I feel a little less urgency about getting either or both back. Linval Joseph was a great pickup. Bernard is playing very well, and Williams is starting to emerge. We can have a strong D without getting Jones or Milano back. Still hoping, of course.

I'd be kind of shocked if 5-2 didn't get us there. I think people are overestimating the strength & potential for wins w/ the teams that are ahead of us. The wheels could fall off for any of them. They kind of have for the Bengals already. The Browns now have to go w/ a backup QB the rest of the way. The Steelers are complete frauds and despite the wise words of Parcells, are NOT as good as their record. The Texans, who knows. I can't dismiss what they've done - but rookie QB's have fallen off at times after hot starts. I remember when Mac Jones was the hype for much of his rookie season, then regressed significantly in December. I think we need to take one of Eagles/Chiefs. I could also see us losing a road game like the Chargers. The rest, obviously, we have to take care of business, including the Cowboys at home.

Nothing I said in my post was delusional. I said we had a slim chance, and that the math isn't insane yet. It's not.

What are you trying to convince me of? Are you looking for me to give up? To say that we have zero chance w/ 8 weeks left in the season?

That call was disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. No reason to throw that flag.

Harbaugh is an elite coach, imo. There aren't many. But he always seems to do a good job w/ his teams.

If champs were decided at this point in the season - the Ravens are playing as well as anyone..

We can definitely surpass the Bengals in the WC race if it comes to that, despite the head to head. Their schedule is very tough going forward. Steelers 2x, Jags, Vikes, Chiefs, Browns.

I'm glad to hear that about Dorsey. As frustrating as his offense could be, and as much as I think it was the right move - I never like seeing people get fired. I hope the best for him & his future.