Uhhh...

Wow. I don't know if Sunday was proof that the Patriots are awesome, or just that we are (or at least can be) absolutely ineffectual in every aspect of the game (except for run defense).
That game just sucked. Now Favre was not getting killed, despite our fifth round rookie starting at RT, so, until he got hurt, either people weren't getting open, or his accuracy flew south for the winter already (33% completions). The running game was absolutely non-existent-- every damn running play, some Patsy lineman was right there, waiting to grab Greenbo or Herron or whoever. And while the defense only gave up a handful of big plays-- I was waiting for the typical secondary blow-up, and I was glad to see that they didn't disappoint, thanks again Kurt-- NE methodically moved the ball, racking up first down after first down. Yeah, they had 22, we had 5. All in all, just terrible.
I suppose in large part, it was due to Favre being awful. If he had nailed some throws early when it was still close (and obviously hadn't gotten hurt), it could have been a game, I think. But the absolutely ineffectual offense led to our defense being put out on the field again and again, and exacerbated their struggles. It just goes to show how dependent we are on Brett. If he stinks, we're dead. If he plays well, we may have a chance to win, especially against iffy teams. Rodgers did not look all that great, which bodes very poorly for the post-Brett era, which could be begin at any moment.
And unfortunately, it looks like we're screwed all around. Maybe we can beat the Lions and the 'Queens at home in the next six weeks. Otherwise we play the Bears (who maybe we could beat if they pull their starters to rest for the playoffs), at Seattle (a likely loss, especially if Hasselback has returned), at SF (whom we could beat, but will probably not be favored to beat), and the Jets at home, where we've won one game so far. So lets say, we go 2 and 4 for the rest of the season, or 3 and 3. That leaves us with a 6-10 or 7-9 season. That record's an improvement over last season, but we'd most likely be picking out of the top 10, probably 11th or 12th. That's not a good position to be in if we're looking for an impact player, which we already need, and will need even more desperately when Brett retires. Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson will be long gone by the 12th pick. Ick.