Sports

Season boils down to Arizona game


Published: December 2, 2008

Bill Burt

FOXBORO — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said what every coach in every sport at every level in America says when asked about the importance of his team winning them all in December.

"Right now ... we are working on Seattle," said Belichick. "We are not worried about anybody else but Seattle. I know there are other games on our schedule, but there is nothing we can do about any of those games. We are not going to concern ourselves with them just like we normally wouldn't. We will focus on this game, one game at a time, and get ready for Seattle."

Well, I am not the coach, so I can go off the board and focus on the next "biggest" game of the 2008 season for the Patriots:

Dec. 21 versus the Arizona Cardinals. But before we analyze that one, let's get to some facts after two days of licking your wounds.

Your 7-5 Patriots, despite suffering their third humiliating loss of the season — it was equal to the 38-13 loss to Miami and 30-10 loss to the "lowly" San Diego Chargers — are still alive and kicking.

Yes, the defense looks tired. Yes, Deltha O'Neal couldn't cover your Aunt Millie's double-move to the outside. And yes, when depending on guys named Sam Aiken and Matthew Slater, during crunch time, you are probably in trouble.

That being said, here are four reasons the Patriots could and probably should make the playoffs (we are thinking small for right now):

Seattle, Oakland, Arizona and Buffalo.

Those are the Patriots' next four opponents.

On Friday, the Patriots take their second nine-day West Coast swing of 2008 (Seattle and Oakland), followed by a home game against Arizona and then the finale in Buffalo.

The first two games, while on the road, come against teams in turmoil. It is December and neither head coach will be around in January. This is El Foldo month for the Seahawks and Raiders, who are a combined 5-19.

That's 9-5.

We will skip the next game, for now, Arizona.

That brings us to the finale against the Bills. I am telling you right now that that game will be a war. I don't care if Mickey Mouse is playing quarterback for the Bills on Dec. 28. The Bills, 6-6 overall, 0-3 in the division, and losers of five of their last six games, will treat that contest like a Super Bowl.

If the next three weeks don't go well for Bills, who lost 10-3 Sunday at home to the now 4-8 49ers, jobs will be at stake on the final Sunday of the regular season.

But let's be honest, the Patriots cannot lose that one if a playoff berth is at stake. So we have them with 10 wins, which is good, but maybe not good enough.

Which brings us to the biggest game on the Patriots' schedule: Dec. 21 against the Cardinals in Foxboro. Make that the first place and probable NFC West division champion Arizona Cardinals, who are 7-5 like the Patriots.

That won't be easy.

Even in our chilly confines, the Cardinals pose a problem. They can throw the ball as well as any team in the NFL, which means the Patriots have issues.

Quarterback Kurt Warner not only beat out "the next great quarterback," Matt Leinart, but he is putting up MVP-type numbers. He is tied for first in touchdown passes (24), second in yards (3,741) and third in quarterback rating (99.4) in the NFL.

Cardinals wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin have combined for 2,017 yards and 19 TDs.

The Cardinals, though, are last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (74.6) and yards per carry (3.3), which probably means the Patriots will take extra precautions in defending the pass.

It says here that the Patriots' season, barring more unforeseen injuries, is still alive. We will save any more prognostications (a week ago I said the Patriots were in position to contend for the Super Bowl) until Dec. 21.

By about 4 p.m. on that day, we should know.

E-mail Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.