Monday Night Football on ESPN HD
y-New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Live from M&T Bank Stadium, 8:30pm ET
720p & DD5.1 simulated by Circle Surround

y-Clinched division

Please include your source in your posts (Cable, Sat, OTA simulcast in home markets) and your location.

tuning in...

pq the usual good espn stuff. nice and sharp. no noise or pixelation. good color. good grass. overall an excellent picture.

aq the normal. i want real 5.1 please.

comcast south jersey.

go pats. try not to make me nervous tonight please. :)

Comcast Boston on WCVB-DT using the QAM tuner.

WCVB AND WMUR's SD signals are center cutting the HD as is WMUR-HD .WCVB-HD is shwoing the full ESPN HD feed. :)

typical directv mpeg 2 broadcast. not too sharp and alot of mosquito noise.

what's with the led zeppelin hook tonight?

i like it, but i'm thinking there's some kind of reason for it that i haven't caught on to yet... :confused:

Tuning in...

I see according to the first post in this thread that the sound is simulated 5.1?? I don't even hear the sound coming from the rear speakers unless I stand next to them.

The broadcast is in 720p. It looks ok in non close up shots, however, for the close up shots I can see that the picture is not all that sharp -- slightly snowy picture.

Comcast South Florida

This game may go down to the wire. Raven's brought their A-game for the Patriots.

Baltimore playing some good ball tonight.

134 yards for McGahee after 3 quarters, and Kyle Boller looking sharp.

Edit: Spoke too soon. The Boller Baltimore knows and loves just showed up.

This is the Ravens game to lose. And with 30 yards on the kickoff, I can't see them finishing what they started. The refs really helped out the Pats, here.

EDIT: Did I say 30? I meant 35.

The Patriots used quite a few lives in this game. Will they have enough for the rest of the season?

WOW!!!! what a game!!!!

Nice catch to end the game, but the Pats still win.

There cannot be a Patriots fan in existence that is satisfied with this win.

Nice catch to end the game, but the Pats still win.

There cannot be a Patriots fan in existence that is satisfied with this win.

Wrong. A win is a win. Very satisfying. More like no Pats hater is satisfied with yet another close-but-no-cigar attempt.

PQ was very good looking.

This was one of those games made for Monday Night, even though it is not what it used to be. Even with Baltimore losing there was some Monday Night Magic in the air.

Wrong. A win is a win. Very satisfying. More like no Pats hater is satisfied with yet another close-but-no-cigar attempt.

Amen. To hell with that 20 point favorite stuff. This is the NFL, and it's always about on any given day.

We won, we're 12-0, on to the Steelers.

Wrong. A win is a win. Very satisfying. More like no Pats hater is satisfied with yet another close-but-no-cigar attempt.

Actually I agree with the poster. It was a win, but if they play like that against Pittsburgh they are going to get killed. The Pats D has not been playing well the last two weeks. They made both Feely and Boller look decent, which is really hard to do.

I wasn't surprised by the tenacity of the Ravens D, but their running game really surprised me. I thought the Ravens could keep the score down, but didn't think they would score more the 14 points, I was wrong.

I think Ray Lewis is going to kill the D Coordinator for that timeout. Both sides are complaining about the officiating again, the league is going to do something about that real soon.

The refs really helped out the Pats, here.



How did the refs "help" the Pats here. A timeout was called from the sideline, Moss had his head ripped off, and Gaffney was mugged underneath. The last entry deserves clarification, the d holding at the end of the game was not on Watson up top, but as Gaffney was coming under the route he was completly mugged by the D-Back. If the call had been with the contact on Watson, it would have been PI and the ball placed at the 1, it wasn't.

Also the Raven's completly lost their composure, and the guy who through the penalty flag into the stands should have been immediatly ejected from the game. That is very poor behavior.

I will give you the Gaffney TD was questionable, but it was called a TD on the field, and their wasn't enough to over turn it. Though even with that said, the ball never did leave Gaffney's hand.

If anything, the non-call on Samuel getting mugged on the Hail Mary could have been huge.

This is the best ESPN MNF game that I can remember.

This is the best ESPN MNF game that I can remember.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing last week watching Pit and the Jets :eek:

Funny, I was thinking the same thing last week watching Pit and the Jets :eek:
The 3-0 crapfest? Really?

That was quite the ending! The Pats still manage to put up that W and I thought it was one of the worst games they played in the last couple of years. They pretty much got it taken to them most of this game and to me as a Pats fan it is a bit concerning watching the D which seems to be running out of gas the last couple of weeks.
I'm not as worried about the Steelers because they seem to raise to the occasion against the good teams but the Dolphins and Giants might be the ones to give them a loss and if they do so be it because it's winning the SB that really matters.

I'm not as worried about the Steelers because they seem to raise to the occasion against the good teams but the Dolphins and Giants might be the ones to give them a loss and if they do so be it because it's winning the SB that really matters.
If the defense keeps playing like this, they could get "just one loss" in the playoffs, and that'll be it. Perfect season or not, all that matters is being perfect in January.

If the defense keeps playing like this, they could get "just one loss" in the playoffs, and that'll be it. Perfect season or not, all that matters is being perfect in January.

Ah, I think that was pretty much what I just said. :confused:

Ah, I think that was pretty much what I just said. :confused:
Pretty much, I just stated it differently and added my own opinion. :cool:

Funny, I was thinking the same thing last week watching Pit and the Jets :eek:

The Steelers played the Dolphins.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing last week watching Pit and the Jets :eek:

That was Pit against MIA - not the Jets. Understandable mistake since, aside from the Pit game, the only other team we beat is the Dolphins, twice. We aren't much better than them. ;)

I'm not as worried about the Steelers because they seem to raise to the occasion against the good teams but the Dolphins and Giants might be the ones to give them a loss

As a Giants fan I'm hoping the Pats are 15-0 when the come to play the Giants. At least then it will be a meaningful game to be at. If the Pats win then I get to see them complete an undefeated season, if the Giants win I'm happy. If the Pats have a loss going into that game then it will be like going to a preseason game.

That was Pit against MIA - not the Jets.

Of course, that is correct. I guess that's what happens when I post at 1 in the morning. :(

As a Giants fan I'm hoping the Pats are 15-0 when the come to play the Giants. At least then it will be a meaningful game to be at. If the Pats win then I get to see them complete an undefeated season, if the Giants win I'm happy. If the Pats have a loss going into that game then it will be like going to a preseason game.

Don't be too surprised if the Giants have nothing to play for in that game. They seem to have the 5th playoff spot wrapped up and it would take a miracle for them to leap frog Dallas as the Division winner. With the amount of injuries they have had lately I doubt Coughlin is going to put his starters in jeopardy be playing in a game that means nothing to them.

As a Giants fan I'm hoping the Pats are 15-0 when the come to play the Giants. At least then it will be a meaningful game to be at. If the Pats win then I get to see them complete an undefeated season, if the Giants win I'm happy. If the Pats have a loss going into that game then it will be like going to a preseason game.

An undefeated season would be 19-0, not 16-0. The 1972 Dolphins are remembered for 17-0, not for 14-0.

An undefeated season would be 19-0, not 16-0. The 1972 Dolphins are remembered for 17-0, not for 14-0.
On the contrary, the 1972 Dolphins are known for being the only NFL era team to finish the season undefeated. In addition to that, they also won the Super Bowl. Those are two seperate feats. No other team has completed their regular season undefeated. I know this is a hypothetical, but had they lost the Super Bowl, we would still remember them for going 14-0.

For the Patriots, an undefeated season would indeed be 16-0.

On the contrary, the 1972 Dolphins are known for being the only NFL era team to finish the season undefeated. In addition to that, they also won the Super Bowl. Those are two seperate feats. No other team has completed their regular season undefeated. I know this is a hypothetical, but had they lost the Super Bowl, we would still remember them for going 14-0.

For the Patriots, an undefeated season would indeed be 16-0.

Trust me, no one in NE is going to celebrate 16-0 if it ends at 18-1

I know this is a hypothetical, but had they lost the Super Bowl, we would still remember them for going 14-0.Yes, but we would not remember them nearly so significantly. A completely undefeated season, ending by winning the league championship is a lot more memorable than going undefeated in the regular season.

For the Patriots, an undefeated season would indeed be 16-0.Disagree. At the end of the day, undefeated means for the entire season, playoffs and all, not just the regular season.

On the contrary, the 1972 Dolphins are known for being the only NFL era team to finish the season undefeated. In addition to that, they also won the Super Bowl. Those are two seperate feats. No other team has completed their regular season undefeated. I know this is a hypothetical, but had they lost the Super Bowl, we would still remember them for going 14-0.

For the Patriots, an undefeated season would indeed be 16-0.

I don't want to make a big deal of this, but, as a suburban Miami resident (who attended all of the 1972 home games), I know that 17-0 is the only number that is mentioned in these parts. 14-0 is never mentioned. If the Patriots -- and much of the press -- want to use 16-0, so be it.

Perhaps even 16-0 --should they make it -- might bear an asterisk in honor of that stupid Ravens time out call on fourth down. <g>

If anything, the non-call on Samuel getting mugged on the Hail Mary could have been huge.

I don't think I've ever seen a PI call on a hail mary. It's a free for all and everybody has the right to the ball. It's a crapshoot and the ref isn't going to intervene.

Trust me, no one in NE is going to celebrate 16-0 if it ends at 18-1

I would!

They would be 16-0 at the end of the regular season not at the end of the playoffs.

You have to go undefeated for the entire season to hold the same significance. At 16-0 they'll have the honor of being the second to have an undefeated regular season - but Mercury Morris & Gang will still pop a cork if they don't win the Super Bowl because they will remain the only team to have an "undefeated season".

What a great game to watch last night.

Trust me, no one in NE is going to celebrate 16-0 if it ends at 18-1

yes, an undefetaed regular season w/o the trophy would be bitter fruit.

I think everyone, fans and foes alike, should be rooting for the Patriots. For fans, reason is obvious. For foes, think of the ENORMOUS pressure they'll be under to win it all.

yes, an undefetaed regular season w/o the trophy would be bitter fruit.

I think everyone, fans and foes alike, should be rooting for the Patriots. For fans, reason is obvious. For foes, think of the ENORMOUS pressure they'll be under to win it all.

I'm not rooting for the Pats; I'm a Bengals fan and dislike the Ravens but was cheering my heart out for them. They really did leave it all out on the field.

As afore mentioned undefeated means no losses...period.

As a Steeler fan, I was conflicted last night. Ended up rooting for the Ravens (underdog, homefield implications, etc.) - but playing Pittsburgh with the "16-0" burden still weighing on them might be better for the Steelers.

what's with the led zeppelin hook tonight?

i like it, but i'm thinking there's some kind of reason for it that i haven't caught on to yet... :confused:


A new greatest hits cd, a reuinion show next Monday, and the possibility of a world tour in 2008. Other than that, no real reason.

As a Steeler fan...

I knew there was something I didn't like about you. ;)

As a Colts fan the only problem I have with the Ravens is the fact that their fans hate my team so much, but I was rooting them on last night. However, since the Colts blew it against the Pats this year, I would not be sorry to see the Patriots win out in the regular reason only to be thwarted in the AFC Championship game (provided both the Colts and Patriots make it there). It would make it that much sweeter. But seeing the Patriots go 19-0 this year might be more than I could take. :eek:

An undefeated season would be 19-0, not 16-0. The 1972 Dolphins are remembered for 17-0, not for 14-0.

Wrong.

but Mercury Morris & Gang will still pop a cork if they don't win the Super Bowl because they will remain the only team to have an "undefeated season".

One of the announcers said "The champagne's gotta be on ice somewhere" I think around 5 times during last nights game. It got pretty annoying after a while.

You have to go undefeated for the entire season to hold the same significance. At 16-0 they'll have the honor of being the second to have an undefeated regular season - but Mercury Morris & Gang will still pop a cork if they don't win the Super Bowl because they will remain the only team to have an "undefeated season".

What a great game to watch last night.

agreed on both. an undefeated "regular season" doesn't mean squat. if anything, an undefeated regular season followed by a playoff loss would be a failure (similar to the mariners winning a zillion games a few years ago and flaming out in the playoffs)... as much as i'd like an undefeated season (if nothing else it will make those annoying dolphins go away ;) ), i really only care about going 3 and 0 in the playoffs...

and it certainly was a great game to watch... i was so wound up i couldn't go to sleep until after 2 am...

i'm really not too certain that the "pressure" to go undefeated will weigh too much on this team though... i understand that they are lying to us when they say they don't think about it... but the core of this team has been through a lot... they understand what the real goal is....

looking forward to this week's game... the stillers certainly have had the pats number in the regular season in recent years...

Yeah...if they go undefeated in the regular season, and not win the superbowl, then they just suck :rolleyes:

agreed on both. an undefeated "regular season" doesn't mean squat. if anything, an undefeated regular season followed by a playoff loss would be a failure (similar to the mariners winning a zillion games a few years ago and flaming out in the playoffs)... as much as i'd like an undefeated season (if nothing else it will make those annoying dolphins go away ;) ), i really only care about going 3 and 0 in the playoffs...

and it certainly was a great game to watch... i was so wound up i couldn't go to sleep until after 2 am...

i'm really not too certain that the "pressure" to go undefeated will weigh too much on this team though... i understand that they are lying to us when they say they don't think about it... but the core of this team has been through a lot... they understand what the real goal is....

looking forward to this week's game... the stillers certainly have had the pats number in the regular season in recent years...

No they don't, it's the other way around!

Mercury Morris & Gang will still pop a cork if they don't win the Super BowlI dislike the Patriots (mainly their coach) a lot, but I am so pulling for them to win out, if it means that gang of has-beens will be forever banished to their private lives, and we won't be subjected to their annual public celebration of another team's defeat, in which they played no role.:rolleyes:

I think it's pathetic, and I wish they would realize how petty and childish they look doing it.

I dislike the Patriots (mainly their coach) a lot, but I am so pulling for them to win out, if it means that gang of has-beens will be forever banished to their private lives, and we won't be subjected to their annual public celebration of another team's defeat, in which they played no role.:rolleyes:

I think it's pathetic, and I wish they would realize how petty and childish they look doing it.

The "celebration", which consists of exactly 2 former players, is not a public event. It is primarily a media thing.

"has beens"? Is that is your categorization of former players and champions? If so, the former Dolphins are in pretty good company.

I must confess that I, too, find the annual press coverage tiresome. And, believe me, we in South Florida are subjected to it as soon as another team wins its first four or five games. Should the Patriots win 19, the same thing will no doubt occur.

ESPN Tackles Cable Audience Mark With 'MNF'

17.5 Million Viewers Watch Patriots-Ravens, Besting Disney Channel’s ‘HSM2’

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 12/5/2007 12:15:00 PM

Move over Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay. Tom, Randy and Ray Lewis have got you beat.

ESPN’s Dec. 3 Monday Night Football match-up between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens became the most-watched cable telecast ever, pushing Disney Channel’s premiere of telefilm High School Musical 2 out of the Nielsen record books.

New England’s controversial, last-second 27-24 victory that kept its perfect record intact tackled a 13.0 household rating, 12.5 million households and 17.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data. For its part, the Aug. 17 debut of High School Musical 2 attracted 17.2 million viewers.

The Dec. 3 contest easily topped ESPN’s previous best MNF game—the Oct. 23, 2006 meeting between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants that drew a 12.8 rating, 11.8 million households and 16 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.

ESPN’s stellar MNF performance came just four days after NFL Network rang up a 14.6 coverage area rating with its Nov. 29 game in which the Dallas Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers 37-27. The Thursday Night Football tilt posted the highest rating on cable since CNN’s Larry King Live presented a free trade debate by then Vice President Al Gore and Ross Perot in November 1993 that notched an 18.1 rating.

NFL Network garnered 10.1 million viewers for its match-up of then 10-1 clubs last Thursday.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6509938.html?desc=topstory

Wow, HSM2 didn't get to hold the record for very long at all.

If New England is 15-0 going into their final regular season game, which is to be broadcast on NFL Network, don't be surprised if MNF holds the record for a short time, too.

If New England is 15-0 going into their final regular season game, which is to be broadcast on NFL Network, don't be surprised if MNF holds the record for a short time, too.

Don't be so such of that. The NFL Network's limited distribution will limit the audience numbers for that game.

As a Steeler fan, I was conflicted last night. Ended up rooting for the Ravens (underdog, homefield implications, etc.) - but playing Pittsburgh with the "16-0" burden still weighing on them might be better for the Steelers.

CP now that one of your Db's has come out and guaranteed a victory Sunday, Your Steelers are toast! so you can forget about that burden of being undefeated because it just ain't going to matter now.

First time back to AVS since this game; must observe: Pats were very lucky to get this win. Coach Ryan calling that TO saved NE's bacon. In fact, the Pats were effectively 1-for-4 on fourth downs in that final drive! That seems impossible, but with the timeout by Baltimore, the Pats' own procedure penalty, and the Raven's penalty, that's how it worked out. Could all this indicate a "destiny" for the Pats to go undefeated? Intriguing...

By the way, the Pats did not play poorly; Baltimore did what was necessary to take away certain options from NE (jamming Welker, finally!). Brady took awhile to adjust to the winds. And the Ravens simply outplayed the Pats for 59 minutes. Great game.

I often criticize the actions and demonstrated attitudes of Coach Belichick, so now that I have observed something favorable about his actions, I'll share it: he exhibits great confidence in his offensive coordinator. That is admirable and wise of Coach Belichick, and almost certainly contributes to the success he has obviously had.

CP now that one of your Db's has come out and guaranteed a victory Sunday, Your Steelers are toast! so you can forget about that burden of being undefeated because it just ain't going to matter now.

I agree I don't understand why people keep giving them motivation every week.

If it were just speculation, it'd be no different than the many talking heads on ESPN. But since it was a "guarantee", I can just relax and enjoy the game. :)

First time back to AVS since this game; must observe: Pats were very lucky to get this win. Coach Ryan calling that TO saved NE's bacon. In fact, the Pats were effectively 1-for-4 on fourth downs in that final drive! That seems impossible, but with the timeout by Baltimore, the Pats' own procedure penalty, and the Raven's penalty, that's how it worked out. Could all this indicate a "destiny" for the Pats to go undefeated? Intriguing...

By the way, the Pats did not play poorly; Baltimore did what was necessary to take away certain options from NE (jamming Welker, finally!). Brady took awhile to adjust to the winds. And the Ravens simply outplayed the Pats for 59 minutes. Great game.

Actually they didn't play well. I've watched every Pats game this year and never have I seen them drop so many footballs throw directly to them. They were down for whatever reason, yet still won. But you'd never know that from all the bitching and whining from the childish Ravens players.

Don't be too surprised if the Giants have nothing to play for in that game. They seem to have the 5th playoff spot wrapped up and it would take a miracle for them to leap frog Dallas as the Division winner. With the amount of injuries they have had lately I doubt Coughlin is going to put his starters in jeopardy be playing in a game that means nothing to them.

Injuries are the least of NY's concerns. Eli is downright scary.

Actually they didn't play well. I've watched every Pats game this year and never have I seen them drop so many footballs throw directly to them. They were down for whatever reason, yet still won. But you'd never know that from all the bitching and whining from the childish Ravens players.

Not only have their receivers not dropped that many passes all season, but I don't think Moss has dropped that many passes during his career. They were off. Not sure what was wrong with their hands.

skye, I'd not use the descriptor "childish" to refer to the Ravens players. They could rip either of us in half. I was disappointed by the on-field blow-up that included the tossing of the ref's flag, but I've since heard that part of the catalyst for that was the repeated occurance of the ref calling a Ravens defender "Boy." Not hard to understand the intense frustration at that point, and not hard to see some little thing like that sending a worked-up and angry player beyond the professional demeanor we should typically expect.

And why did the Pats receivers drop some balls? I suspect it was that Brady had to adjust to the wind by putting more mustard on his throws, and those are always harder to catch. It may be that playing in poor weather conditions like that will help in Foxboro in January. First time is always toughest for such adjustments, and this year's NE team is far more about big plays on offense than recent NE teams were. Ironically, their most likely opponent in the AFC Championship game is less so than they had recently been.

I often criticize the actions and demonstrated attitudes of Coach Belichick, so now that I have observed something favorable about his actions, I'll share it: he exhibits great confidence in his offensive coordinator. That is admirable and wise of Coach Belichick, and almost certainly contributes to the success he has obviously had.

wow. i think i'm going to look for the sun to rise in the west tomorrow... ;)

skye, I'd not use the descriptor "childish" to refer to the Ravens players.

I would. When you act like a child, it's childish. If the Gafney catch had been overturned, the Pats would have had the ball on 2 yard line, first down, with 44 seconds left because of the childish idiocy of Bart Scott. I have little doubt the Pats would have scored again. Then all the whining about the refs after the game stealing the game from the Ravens. Boohoo. If you don't want a ref to call you for holding...DONT HOLD. It's pretty simple. And I don't know who to believe anymore, the Pats fans who claimed the refs wanted the Colts to win in that game, or the Ravens players stating that now the league wants the Pats to win since Brady "sells tickets". News flash, Ravens, win or lose, the Pats are going to sell tickets. I wonder how many of the Raven's 8 losses are attributable to bad refs. I'm sure if we asked the Ravens, it would be all 8.

The Pat's have been screwed plenty by bad calls in the past, but it goes both ways and has a way of evening out over time. Ever since the Colt's (and others) started bitching to the league a few years ago about illegal contact downfield it seems they have been called VERY tight on pass interference. Then there is the whole Randy Moss fiasco. He's known to push off a defender in order to grab a catch. Sometimes he gets called for it when he doesn't do it and other times he about knocks a guy over and gets away with it. I did not see much evidence in the Raven's game of the Pat's getting away with anything OR the Raven's being called when they shouldn't have. I did see the Raven's get away with murder a few times and it finally caught up with them. On that note you could argue about the inconsistency of penalty calling but it's not at fualt for deciding the game.

Despite the fact that I am a huge Pat's fan I would say more that the Raven's lost than the Pat's won. I've seen my own Pat's do it plenty of times over the years so I'm pretty familiar with what it looks like.

First time back to AVS since this game; must observe: Pats were very lucky to get this win. Coach Ryan calling that TO saved NE's bacon. In fact, the Pats were effectively 1-for-4 on fourth downs in that final drive! That seems impossible, but with the timeout by Baltimore, the Pats' own procedure penalty, and the Raven's penalty, that's how it worked out. Could all this indicate a "destiny" for the Pats to go undefeated? Intriguing...

By the way, the Pats did not play poorly; Baltimore did what was necessary to take away certain options from NE (jamming Welker, finally!). Brady took awhile to adjust to the winds. And the Ravens simply outplayed the Pats for 59 minutes. Great game.

Well if you saw the Brady after game interview he was po'ed big time!!
He said they heard the whistle blow for the timeout that the ravens defensive
co-ordinator called. That was why they stopped the pile push. Brady said they def.would have made the 1st down if the wistle had not blown..

He said they heard the whistle blow for the timeout that the ravens defensive
co-ordinator called. That was why they stopped the pile push. Brady said they def.would have made the 1st down if the wistle had not blown..
It seemed to me that he was just joking about it, not seriously saying that he heard the whistle and stopped.

It seemed to me that he was just joking about it, not seriously saying that he heard the whistle and stopped.

Thats what I got out of it as well. No doubt the Pats would have been stopped on that play and the game would have been over but Thank You Ravens coaches for the second chance.

It seemed to me that he was just joking about it, not seriously saying that he heard the whistle and stopped.

He wasn't joking. I just watched Peter King on Inside the NFL, and he insists that Tom insists he stopped himself when he heard the whistle.

I also love the NFL video of Bill Belichik. It's one of the few ways to see who he really is, since he doesn't offer much in his press conferences. It's good to see how smart and calm he is when his D isn't playing well, as opposed to many of us fans that freak out play-to-play.

He wasn't joking. I just watched Peter King on Inside the NFL, and he insists that Tom insists he stopped himself when he heard the whistle.


I think it was a mix of both. I think he did hear the whistle, but he definitely was joking around with the Media about it during the Press Conference.