The New England Patriots are a good football team. Not other superlatives. Just good.
At the 3/4 mark of their injury ridled 2008 season one thing has become clear. The Patriots cannot run with the league’s big dogs. They can put up a good effort and show signs of competitiveness – but at the end of the day they simply do not have the weapons to defeat the league’s best.
For 2008, the Patriots will be among the better teams of the NFL’s 2nd tier. Their hopes for playoffs are the wildcard (they are currently seeded 7th – 6 teams make it…), or a falter by the Jets. Arizona and Buffalo, neither a top tier team, are their toughest opponents remaining.
The Jets, Colts, or Ravens need to lose for the Pat’s to make it into the post-season. Of course if the Patriots lose 1 of their 4 remaining games they will pretty much be out of it. If they do, by some chance, make it into the playoffs do not look for them to last long. They simply do not have the weapons to run with the big dogs this year…
