Everywhere I look, people are saying the Patriots have no chance of making the playoffs. Look, losing Tom Brady is huge. I agree with that. It greatly diminishes their chances. However, there are things people are choosing to ignore that work in the Pats favor as far as a playoff run is concerned. The formula is simple:

The easiest schedule in the league + a pretty good defense + a decent running game + one of the best wide receiver corps in the league means they're going to the playoffs. Maybe as a wild card, maybe as a division winner, but they'll go to the playoffs with Matt Cassel at QB.

Remember the Bears a couple years ago? They made it to the Super Bowl with Rex freakin Grossman. Matt Cassel has to be better than or equal to him and this Pats team is better than that Bears team was. Different circumstances... maybe, but you can't write them off until you see how Cassel plays this Sunday against the New York Bretts.