Bedard's Weekend Briefing 12.14.18: Patriots thoughts, Celtics & Bruins back at it

Good morning! 

A few random thoughts while I wonder how much my arteries will clog this weekend in Pittsburgh...

• So Patriots fans are even more grumpy this morning after watching the Chargers come back to beat the Chiefs last night. If the Patriots finished off the Dolphins, the Patriots would be the No. 1 seed right now.


• Yeah, that's all well and good but that only means something IF the Patriots win out. Even with a win in Miami, I don't think that was going to happen. Not this Patriots team. I think 12-4 and possibly 11-5 is in their future, making that Chiefs loss ... still irrelevant.


• Some of you like to scoreboard watch. I get it, it's fun. Me? I'm more, "Wake me up when the season is over and then let's go play some football." Coulda, woulda, shouldas don't really matter at the end of the day. Did you hold serve at home? Did you then go on the road and win? That's ultimately what's important.


• Think I'm in the same place I was last year about this matchup: the Steelers are more talented but the Patriots find a way to win/Steelers find a way to lose.


• No team has underachieved more the past couple seasons than the Steelers. And that's on the coaching.


• If I'm the Patriots, I don't want to play the Chargers. They have one of the league's best pass defenses and the way they spread it out and sling it ... that's a good way to play the Patriots.


• Tom Brady will not be an AFC Pro Bowl pick by ProFootballFocus.com. That's fairly significant and shows how Brady has taken a step back this season, for whatever reason. Patrick Mahomes and Philip Rivers are no-brainers for the top two spots. It's between Brady and Andrew Luck for the third spot. Can't go wrong with either.


• After a rare night off, the Celtics and Bruins are back in action tonight.


• The Green host the Hawks and then travel to Detroit. The Hawks are awful this season, Pistons average. Boston should continue to roll.


• Bruins have the Penguins, Sabres and Canadiens in the next four days. Pretty big stretch. Would be nice to get Patrice Bergeron back at some point. Doesn't look like it will happen this weekend.