Realistically, what is it going to take to beat the patriots

[drdiags]

Stop with the bone-headed procedure penalties. You cannot control whether the ref will call holding or PI but illegal shifts and motion is totally on you as the player. CMike's motion penalty against the Saints forcing an eventual FG for what started as a 1st and 4 and goal to go is an example of flat inexcusable mental lapses.

Maybe it was the crowd noise but good teams minimize the self-inflicted wounds.

No signs of a run game that I see but I'm willing to be wrong, generating a respectable run game reduces the need to let the Patriots tee off on the Seahawks still trying to gel O-Line.

Defense cannot afford another +80 plays on the field.

Special teams protection has been a puzzle the past 2 years. There have been a few punts blocked over the past few years or FG mishaps. ST mishaps against the Patriots are lethal. Need to be tight in this area.

 

[LegendKiller]

It kills to me to hear every expert, analyst etc giving us NO chance against the Patriots. I get it, the circumstances aren't ideal...we have some injured players, short week for us, them coming off a bye week in their house. I get it. OUR team thrives off being perceived as the underdog. OUR team has more heart than any other team in the NFL and that's a damn fact. If we can pull off a win, it would really change the narrative from XLIX and send a message across the NFL. With that being said, we'll see the Patriots again in Super Bowl 51. This time with a healthy team. Win or Lose...GO HAWKS!!!!

 

[MD5eahawks]

To beat them you must copy them. I am referring to their tactical plan - neutralize their strength. Their strength is Brady. Put pressure on him and you win. All those other things, like covering Gronk, 3rd downs, and protecting Wilson, will not matter much if they are having a bad QB day.

Now, implementing that plan is going to be very difficult without Bennett or Kam.

 

[Tical21]

My biggest two things this week:

1. Stop the run. Our defense is on a historically bad pace on 3rd down. The past two weeks have coincided with giving up way too much in the run game. If NE is in 3rd and short all day, we're in trouble.

2. Get Brady off his spot. Don't know if we have the horses to do it. Come on Moore!!

 

[Flyingsquad23]

Hawks D limiting 3rd downs, a couple timely picks and Russ connecting with Tyler on two big plays will lead them to a victory that everyone in the country will call an upset....and 12's will call it truth.

What I really want to see is Jeremy Lane getting redemption on that "Mitch" Edelman for the blatant cheap shot that blew out his knee. Funny how no one was suggesting castration for the white guy that plays dirty every game. If he was too take a Vernon Davis field nap it wouldn't hurt my feelings.

GO HAWKS

 

[SeaToTheHawks]

Hawks D limiting 3rd downs, a couple timely picks and Russ connecting with Tyler on two big plays will lead them to a victory that everyone in the country will call an upset....and 12's will call it truth.

What I really want to see is Jeremy Lane getting redemption on that "Mitch" Edelman for the blatant cheap shot that blew out his knee. Funny how no one was suggesting castration for the white guy that plays dirty every game. If he was too take a Vernon Davis field nap it wouldn't hurt my feelings.

GO HAWKS

Really. You really just made this about race? SMH.

 

[fenderbender123]

I think the one thing that makes or breaks this game is our interior pass rush. IMO, nobody is better in the league at climbing the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield for a big play than Tom Brady. If we can't get pressure from the middle on him, then our only shot is to win a shootout.

 

[Nothinbutm]

I think the Bills exposed another D weakness. Using a big line, or a FB or a big pulling guard to punch a hole. The announcer quoted Incognito who said our line is small and quick, the bills needed to push us back. They did. NE has a god line, maybe not as big in the pulling stunts, but capable of moving our lighter tackles. 5 yard runs and 5 yard pass plays means a very busy night for Wags. We need a big fat powerful nose guard ala Mebane with a good hammy.

You think Rubin, McDaniels, and Reed are light?

 

[GeekHawk]

NE has a god line...

Not sure you can do *anything* against that! :mrgreen:

 

[hawks85]

we are not winning tomorrow I hate to rain on everybody's parade. we don't even have a run game our offense is mediocre at best. If we had a halfway good running game then I say we have a shot. Without it we're done. the pats are no joke right now.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Patriots favored vs Ravens in AFC Championship....lost

Patriots favored vs Giants twice....lost

Patriots favored vs Broncos last year in playoffs....lost

Patriots without good CB's, they tend to lose against better QB's....Russelll has no excuses, this isn't an elite secondary.....

Let's be honest, we had ZERO first downs in a quarter and half in the Super Bowl and would have had 31 to 34 points if not for Kearse's drop at 24-14....

This Patriots team has played NOBODY all year.....at Steelers without Big Ben.....Bills twice....at overrated Arizona on the road....Houston at home on a short week vs Osweiler....Cincinnati at New England had the game under control for 2+ quarters.....people forget friggin Miami pushed them in Week 2, carving them up in the 2nd half....at Cleveland??

I'm sorry folks, Seattle is not THAT bad, the media has you all scared.........it's not Cary Williams or Tharold Simon at CB....we are at full speed and have enough depth....

Even with absurd time of possession being tilted, Seattle if not for a blocked punt, keeps Buffalo to under 24 points a game.....Saints with gifts....

Did we look bad at Arizona?? Yes....Are we without a true running game.....??? Yes....

Do we have enough WR's to make plays, vs the 2014 team in the Super Bowl.....we also had no TE of note as well....this year, we bring Graham in, as a person you have to account for....

Seahawks 34, Pats 23.....and it's not that close....we sack Brady 6+ times and it looks like the USC/Washington game last night.....pressure, pressure, pressure.....Brady is 39 and is declining......today signals that decline.....