I don't believe we'll blow them out but I do predict a win.
One of the few things that you can say for sure about the present day NFL is that last week does not equal this week. Teams that look like gold one game come back down to earth as they get trounced the next. A team that looks like they can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag comes back to school one of the so-called "powerhouses" and everyone is always shocked when it happens ... not me.
This early dose of adversity is either exactly what the doctor ordered for a team that has had a false sense of entitlement or it will sink the ship completely. If it's gonna be the latter then this team wasn't destined to win big anyway even w/o all the bad juju as of late.
That's because teams don't win it all anymore because they're the most talented team on the block. They win it because of heart, chemistry, leadership, and an us against the world mentality with good talent mixed in.
Now do teams always exhibit these elusive intangibles from the very beginning of the season or do they develop them as the opportunity arises due to adversity? I think recent history shows that team character is developed usually through adversity. No need to look very far think Giants last year for evidence of this.
I think one of the problems for this team in particular is that things have come a little too easily and a little too quickly for them. They find a franchise QB and boom 1 1/2 seasons later they're 13-3 and everyone is talking Superbowl.
Well here's their adversity served up on a silver platter and what they choose to do with it will determine the Championship potential of this team, not last weeks game.
I think they respond this week with a win and the following week with a hard fought loss, but that will be good enough to teach the men in that locker room some things about themselves and their mental toughness that should benefit them going into the bye week and on into the meat of their schedule.
Remember we had a great beginning to the season last year but haven't seen a good December in recent memory. So how we close is what ultimately matters here.
Don't give up hope until you see what they can deliver with this 1st piece of adversity. It could make all the difference.
