New England’s win streak is making a Patriots vs Buccaneers Super Bowl look like a possibility | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab discuss the Patriots big win over the Titans. New England’s sixth straight win not only puts them atop the AFC East with a showdown looming against Buffalo, but they now have to be considered one of the top teams in the entire league. Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
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FRANK SCHWAB: They're the hottest team in the NFL. The longest winning streak in football is 6 games by the New England Patriots. I mean, they just demolished the Titans today. It was 36-13. Never felt like the Titans had any chance in this game. And they're just depleted on offense. They can't do anything.
But the Patriots, you know, I mean, the funny thing is, one of the weirder stat lines you're ever going to see. The Titans had two 100-yard rushers and lost this game by 3 touchdowns. Like OK, I don't remember that ever happening. You know, the New England Patriots keep showing up and they've won six in a row and at some point, we're just going to have to deal with the fact that Bill Belichick is going to be in our lives until at least late January. I mean, this is a team that's really doing a lot of things well.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think this is really easy with the Titans. I mean look at their turnover margin the last couple of games. You turn the ball over that much, I mean you lost four turnovers. What, three fumbles and an interception? Like, you cannot turn the ball over like this consistently and win a football game. It is weird, you know, it's not like they weren't effective rushing the football. It wasn't like that-- it wasn't all banged on Ryan Tannehill to carry this team at this stage, but yeah, also look at the wide receiver. I mean, they're completely destroyed from an injury standpoint.
FRANK SCHWAB: Unbelievable luck.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I know. It's crazy, because it was like first it was the defense, then it was the offense.
FRANK SCHWAB: I mean even the running backs. I mean those guys played well today, but D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard? Like these dudes were on a street a month ago.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: And they're their best players right now on offense. Skill position players. It's like, I don't even know how they move the ball. Like I don't know how they're going to win another game. They'll probably, you know, they probably got games against Jacksonville and Houston coming up or whatever and they'll find a way to beat those teams, but a good team? No. This Titans team can't do it. They're going to get healthier, allegedly, and I mean, that'll be great for them, but without Derrick Henry, this team is just not-- it's an 8-4 team that I would not trust to win one playoff game right now. And I think that that's-- I think that's what everybody would say. I don't think there's anybody out there really could disagree with me on that one.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah, I don't-- now I'm starting to think like, is there any way like the Patriots and the Buccaneers could both be one seeds?
FRANK SCHWAB: I mean, can you imagine that Super Bowl?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Is there any way this could be a Super Bowl in L.A.? Oh my God, man.
FRANK SCHWAB: Like that would be the-- like I don't even know what a proper comparison would look like.
CHARLES ROBINSON: But it's not off the table. That's the crazy thing.
FRANK SCHWAB: No, not at all.
CHARLES ROBINSON: It's definitely not off the table right now. It could absolutely happen.
FRANK SCHWAB: Absolutely. If you're picking-- yeah. If you're picking a team, look. The Patriots play at the Bills next Monday night and that's one of the games of the season. Because if the Patriots can win that, all of a sudden they're probably the strong favorite to win the AFC East. And that conversation we just had about, oh, who do we trust in the AFC? Well, maybe it's the Patriots. Because their defense is legit. This defense is really, really good. Matt Judon was one of the best signings of the year. Their offense does enough. All these pieces are finally clicking. Kendrick Bourne with a couple of big plays today.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: Their running game's really going. I mean, this is kind of-- it's shades of the early Brady years. The '01, '03, '04. Where it was like, Brady wasn't, you know, we all remember. Brady wasn't the 50 touchdown guy he was in 2007. He was a dink and dunk kind of guy that managed the game and that's all they're asking Mac to do. And he can do it. He's progressed well enough that he can make enough plays to win games. And their defense is just going to close the door on you.
I'm really impressed with what we've seen out of the Patriots, mostly because five weeks into the season, I was like, this team stinks.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: They just-- Davis Mills just carved them up. They're not going to the playoffs. And since then they've just, they look like, I mean, they are the hottest team in the NFL and they might be among, I mean what, three, four best teams in the NFL. And it's weird to say because we didn't expect that.
CHARLES ROBINSON: If you look-- the offensive balance. Go through that winning streak, their offensive balance is fantastic.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I mean, I think it was them figuring out like, hey, we can-- here's the running backs we're going to use. We got a rotation. We can run the ball. You know, Mac Jones is-- he's just good, solid, like he's not exquisite, he's not exceptional, he's not Justin Herbert as a rookie, but he's good. He's just going to be a good, fairly mistake free player for us. And we're going to be able to run the ball, and like you said, play defense.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: And I actually think that Bill Belichick, those are his favorite teams.
FRANK SCHWAB: I think so, too.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I think he likes the teams where he's like, hey, I get to do some different things on defense. We're pretty talented, we got some young guys that are really coming on. You know, and then offensively, I think he likes being able to be balanced and not pay homage to Tom, you know or whatever.
FRANK SCHWAB: And the balance goes to, and I think these are-- when you talk about Belichick liking these types of teams, it's all right this is a Hunter Henry week. Oh this is a Damien Harris week.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.
FRANK SCHWAB: Oh, Damien's out? This is a Rhamondre Stevenson week. We can mix and match our offensive talent, there's not a Randy Moss. But we can-- all right, if you're going to take this away, we're going to do this because we got a lot of versatile, good players. I don't think they have a great player on offense. I don't think anybody would disagree with that.
But they have a lot of good players. Guys that could beat you. You know, this week, Hunter Henry's going to score two touchdowns. OK, he can do that. He's good enough for that. And I think that's a really good-- I think this is a really good mix for this New England team. And I think Belichick's doing a heck of a job. I really do.
I think at some point, you know, if they do go to Buffalo next week and win and they end up winning the AFC East, maybe even the one seed in the AFC, we're going to have to talk about him as Coach of the Year. He's the best coach in football, why wouldn't he win that award?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah. Well I mean, this is-- if there's going to be a year he's going to win it, I mean, this is going to be one of those that-- you're going to have a hard time not at least having him in the conversation.
