Success

I can't even remember the last halftime show that I thought really met the occasion.

Missed opportunity. Not much about the Rams is scary.

I feel like the Bengals got a few too many breaks on the way here. They almost feel like imposters - I like that team, but I think it could be a mismatch tonight.

It's a little too early in the window for "always" kinds of pronouncements. It's really just the past 2 seasons. Last year was just rough because our O was banged up and couldn't keep up. This year, the D got some key stops in the 2nd half, but it really came down to a coin flip.

That win was a statement. It WAS telling the Patriots that yes, you are headed in that direction, and we're headed in this direction. The Pats are done.

Jones will be just good enough for the Pats to keep him for many years. Which is just fine by me.

It's a team game. I reject when QB's are labeled "chokers" because their TEAMS consistently fall short. Rogers, like Manning, had almost nothing to do w/ some of his early playoff exits. His last game was the 1st time that I felt like he didn't show up in the playoffs. He had a bad game. The play last year was just one he missed - I wouldn't call it "lacking clutch." I've seen AR pull out enough games in the 4th to know he can be very clutch.

I agree - every game is match-ups, and the way we match up to the Rams could be completely different. But if the Rams D-line dictates the game like I think they will, I might feel a little better. I don't think we would have matched up well against that, or against the Rams WR's.

I'd like to see him play more. He brought a lot of energy to the D, imo.

Ask me on Sunday night.

Oh, man - that look on Lalo's face in the last episode. I'm actually nervous.

Germany is on the bucket list. I'd be in.

Patriots fans hate us now. Step forward.

We'll probably be hearing his name a lot on Sunday.

It's probably been stated on this thread, but there was that story that Deflategate was kind of a "make up call" for Spygate, which was allegedly worse than what was reported. The Pats* deserve the cheating reputation. Maybe not Brady, but BB has always pushed the envelope. As most here know, he supposedly had his D kick the ball at the LOS sporadically in our SB against the Giants to slow down the K-Gun. If you're a great coach w/ a great team, just play the game & win it on the field.

We need to build a true top 5 defense next year. Defense wins championships. As much as the end of the KC game hurt, I would have been extremely concerned about facing the Rams with our current D.

He has to be feeling a bit of pressure, though. Yes, the success speaks for itself - but the only real success came w/ the GOAT QB. He hasn't done much without that QB. If the Pats take a step back next year, the whole "It was Brady, not Belichick" crowd will be as loud as ever.

As long as people continue to put an asterisk when they write the word Patriots*, I don't really care....

Groot and Oliver are the 2 key pieces to build around. It makes no sense whatsoever to trade one of those guys. If they can bring in a true pass rush specialist, it will elevate the play of both - they have to keep what they have and add to it.

When the Rams made the SB against the Pats, they compared 2 sports bars in both locations. The Pats bar was going nuts w/ beer flying all over the place. In LA, there were 2 couples sitting at the bar drinking wine, and one of them looked up and said something like, "Hey, we won! That means we're going to the Super Bowl, right?" I'm sure it wasn't all like that. But probably.

The Bengals cut in line. It bothers me, too - even though I like Burrow, their team & their fans. Shows how hard it is to get there, and win. I'm rooting for the Rams. If the Bengals win, it will open up a can of worms w/ me around the "should have been us" theme.

They used to be in 1st place in the division, right? Their fans will always have the DVD's, I guess.

I mean, we saw coaches do mystifying things the entire playoffs. KC blew a 21-3 lead at home. The Rams basically blew a 27-3 lead. Dallas & Green Bay played inexplicable games & strategies as the favorites in their losses. The mighty Belichick got blown out and never even mustered so much as a token challenge. Yes, our coaches blew it the last 13 seconds. But 2nd guessing is part of the game - if they squib it and Hill takes it to the house, everyone is all "why didn't they just kick it in the endzone!" The final D was bad, but it was an anomoly in an otherwise well-planned & well called game.

He's a very easy player to root for. I'll be happy for him if the Rams win. If the Bengals win, I'll be more happy for the fans. I like Burrow, but I have a feeling I won't like him THAT much in the years to come.

The worst aspect, imo, was rushing 4. That is something I'll never understand. Rush 3 at most, but 2 would have sufficed. I saw one former player argue that they should have rushed no one. Mahomes running there was no big threat, especially if you layered the depth of the defenders w/ the extra players dropping back in coverage. I hate to think this - but I think the coaches had a lapse because they were as exhilirated as we were and lost sight of the game for a bit.