Spring Break
Patriots Expected to go 19-0
Jordan Chatfield, 2L
Issue date: 1/1/01 Section: Sports
January 2008
On Dec. 29, 2007, the New England Patriots became the first team to finish 16-0 in the regular season and the first team to complete an undefeated regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
However, this undefeated regular season won’t mean much if the Patriots do not follow the same path as the 1972 Dolphins and complete the season with a Super Bowl win. Needless to say, the Patriots domination has led them to be the popular pick to be Super Bowl winners.
But don’t be so sure that the Patriots’ journey in the playoffs will go down without a fight from the opposition; there are at least three teams (out of the five playoff teams) in the AFC tha can compete with the New England Patriots.
(Hopefully I will be as successful predicting a team that can beat the Patriots as I was earlier in the school year when predicting that the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic would beat the Boston Celtics, who are presently 28-3 at the time of writing this article).
Indianapolis Colts, aka The Quietest #2 Seed… Ever: The Colts, as reigning Super Bowl champions, obviously have the goods to beat the Patriots. Peyton Manning is leading a poten offense that scored the second most points in the AFC (450), while the defense gave up the least amount of points in the NFL (262). And somehow Manning did this while appearing in approximately 3,732 commercials (rough estimate). He’s a true double threat guy.
San Diego Chargers, aka The Momentum Team: The “Superchargers” are riding a six game winning streak and ready to avenge an abrupt end dealt to them by the Patriots in their playoff run last year. In order to face the Patriots, the Chargers would have to beat the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, both of whom the Chargers defeated in the regular season. And don’t forget that the Chargers gave the Patriots a run for their money in last year’s playoffs. A new coach for the Chargers (Norv Turner) could result in a new result in a match-up against the Pats.
Jacksonville Jaguars, aka The Wild Cizzle (Card): The Jaguars might be the most overlooked team in the NFL this season. Their first round match-up against the Steelers at Pittsburgh is a rematch of a Dec. 16 game that resulted in a 29-22 victory for the road team. Although the Jaguars did not play the Patriots during the regular season, their team features a starting QB with a 102.2 rating (David Garrard) and two running backs who nearly combined for 2,000 yards rushing (Fred Taylor – 1,202 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew – 768 yards).
And finally what all of the SW community has waited for: my Super Bowl prediction. Unfortunately, I personally feel the Patriots are unstoppable in the AFC and will make the Super Bowl. The NFC will be represented by the Packers of Green Bay, who will defeat the Patriots 34-31 in a rematch of the 1997 Super Bowl. With that, Brett Favre will retire as the greatest quarterback ever to have played the game.
On Dec. 29, 2007, the New England Patriots became the first team to finish 16-0 in the regular season and the first team to complete an undefeated regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
However, this undefeated regular season won’t mean much if the Patriots do not follow the same path as the 1972 Dolphins and complete the season with a Super Bowl win. Needless to say, the Patriots domination has led them to be the popular pick to be Super Bowl winners.
But don’t be so sure that the Patriots’ journey in the playoffs will go down without a fight from the opposition; there are at least three teams (out of the five playoff teams) in the AFC tha can compete with the New England Patriots.
(Hopefully I will be as successful predicting a team that can beat the Patriots as I was earlier in the school year when predicting that the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic would beat the Boston Celtics, who are presently 28-3 at the time of writing this article).
Indianapolis Colts, aka The Quietest #2 Seed… Ever: The Colts, as reigning Super Bowl champions, obviously have the goods to beat the Patriots. Peyton Manning is leading a poten offense that scored the second most points in the AFC (450), while the defense gave up the least amount of points in the NFL (262). And somehow Manning did this while appearing in approximately 3,732 commercials (rough estimate). He’s a true double threat guy.
San Diego Chargers, aka The Momentum Team: The “Superchargers” are riding a six game winning streak and ready to avenge an abrupt end dealt to them by the Patriots in their playoff run last year. In order to face the Patriots, the Chargers would have to beat the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, both of whom the Chargers defeated in the regular season. And don’t forget that the Chargers gave the Patriots a run for their money in last year’s playoffs. A new coach for the Chargers (Norv Turner) could result in a new result in a match-up against the Pats.
Jacksonville Jaguars, aka The Wild Cizzle (Card): The Jaguars might be the most overlooked team in the NFL this season. Their first round match-up against the Steelers at Pittsburgh is a rematch of a Dec. 16 game that resulted in a 29-22 victory for the road team. Although the Jaguars did not play the Patriots during the regular season, their team features a starting QB with a 102.2 rating (David Garrard) and two running backs who nearly combined for 2,000 yards rushing (Fred Taylor – 1,202 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew – 768 yards).
And finally what all of the SW community has waited for: my Super Bowl prediction. Unfortunately, I personally feel the Patriots are unstoppable in the AFC and will make the Super Bowl. The NFC will be represented by the Packers of Green Bay, who will defeat the Patriots 34-31 in a rematch of the 1997 Super Bowl. With that, Brett Favre will retire as the greatest quarterback ever to have played the game.
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Alexandria Movers
posted 9/04/09 @ 11:12 AM PST
They have a real cohesive offense line that is smart and multi demensional. Their defensive front led by Seymour allows them to hide members of their secondary. (Continued…)
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