Always happy to get a win, but I dislike the way the Patriots are trending (apart from the injuries, which are bad enough).
After scoring tons of points through their first 7 games—averaging nearly 36 per—they've now averaged only ~25 over their last 3 games (against a bad Redskins team and mediocre Giants and Bills teams), never reaching 30, and scoring a season-low 20 tonight. And despite getting Cannon and Vollmer back tonight, the O-line struggled—that could be, at least in part, because those two were rusty after being out several weeks, but I still don't like it.
Furthermore, this season is shaping up like 2007, and not in a good way. That year, the Pats tended to blow out teams in the first half of the season, then saw their average margin of victory shrink as they got closer to the postseason. And we all know how their offense bombed out in the Super Bowl. I know it sounds entitled, and maybe absurd, to say that an 18-1 season is disappointing, but it's about the titles, right? I feel that way. And they didn't win the title that year.
Even though I always want my favorite teams to win, I've often thought that the '07 team might've benefited from suffering a regular-season loss, as it may well have served to sharpen their focus. I've also had that thought about this year's team. I understand that nearly everyone gets up for playing the Pats, and most teams give New England their best shot, but I feel like things are starting to slip with this team. Again, don't want them to lose, but it seems hard to maintain the necessary sharpness otherwise, if that makes sense.
