Good morning!
A few random thoughts while I wonder if the five teams that beat the Patriots this season will have fun watching them in the playoffs...
- That's weird, isn't it? All five of the Patriots losses came to teams that missed the playoffs. Strange. I have no idea what that says about anyone.
- The Patriots went out and did what they needed to do: they largely dominated an inferior opponent (24th in total DVOA, 29th in offense, 20th defense) playing out the string for a now-fired coach.
- What do we know about these Patriots, and what do they need to happen to win a title? Glad you asked.
- Patriots host either the Texans (best-case scenario) or Raven/Chargers winner (worst outcome) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13.
- Phillip Dorsett ... all he does is catch passes and earn the respect of his teammates (but he can't get on the field for some unknown reason).
- Kyle Van Noy ... all he does is score touchdowns. I'm smelling a potential Vrabel thing here.
- #FreeAndersBjork at Notre Dame. That has to be a tough blow for him.
- It's going to rain in South Bend today. That can't be good for the ice.
- In case you missed it, here's Sean McAdam's Hall of Fame ballot.
- Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and happy.
Time to hit the links...
PATRIOTS
RED SOX
CELTICS
BRUINS
ON TAP
Monday
Noon
2 p.m.
3 p.m.:
3:45 p.m.
4 p.m.
4 p.m
Providence
5 p.m.
Boston College
7 p.m.: NBA — Celtics at Spurs (NBCSB/NBATV)
7 p.m.
8 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
10:30 p.m.
United States
Tuesday
Noon
1 p.m.: NHL — Winter Classic, Bruins vs. Blackhawks at Notre Dame, NBC (Ryan)
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
5 p.m.
7 p.m.
8:45 p.m.
PARTING THOUGHT
Torey
Krug