As this improbable Patriots season moves towards its conclusion, few games will hold as much significance as today’s 4:15 p.m. showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s true - of the seventy-seven regular season games remaining on the 2008 NFL schedule, just five will feature a head-to-head matchup between two of the six AFC playoff contenders currently ahead of, or tied with, the Patriots.

Needless to say, in order to make the playoffs the Patriots will need to continue their winning ways (if you want to call two of their last four winning ways) while hoping that a few dominoes (a tile quite familiar to several of their players) fall their way in the process.

Of particular interest is the AFC North, where 8-3 Pittsburgh and 7-4 Baltimore both maintain a playoff pace. One team will win the division and the other will undoubtedly be a leading contender for one of the two available wild card spots. Hence the interest by the 7-4 Patriots, who still trail the Eastern division by a game thanks to their 34-31 home loss to the leading Jets.

The good news for the Patriots is that the Steelers will be involved in three of those five AFC direct matchups, counting today’s game. After hosting the Dallas Cowboys next weekend, Pittsburgh hits the road for Baltimore (currently 6^th seed) and Tennessee (1^st) before finishing at home with Cleveland. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Steelers and the Patriots (7^th seed, presently) will end up vying for the last empty chair when the regular season music comes to a stop.

New England would do well to have a head-to-head victory chip (the first tiebreaker in nearly every eventuality) in their pocket for just such an occasion. They’ve been unable to secure the same from the Colts or the Jets in recent weeks, which only heightens the anxiety over today’s outcome. A loss to conference rival Pittsburgh would assuredly tie another anchor to their already weighted playoff ship (another lost head-to-head advantage, and a crippling fifth conference loss).

A win, though, could vault them back into a playoff seeding as early as tonight, provided lightning strikes in Cleveland or Cincinnati this afternoon. If the Patriots beat the Steelers and the Browns surprise the Colts, the Pats would take possession of the sixth seed after thirteen weeks; the same would be true with a New England win and a Cincinnati upset of the Ravens.

The Trifecta (Patriots win and the Colts and Ravens lose) would result in New England’s ascension to the fifth spot at the conclusion of today’s action. If they get no help, however, the picture will remain static even if New England wins. Though Pittsburgh and Baltimore would be tied with four losses, the Steelers would maintain the division lead by virtue of their 23-30 win over the Ravens in Week Four. The Ravens would then bump the Pats from the sixth spot with their superior conference record (6-3 to 5-4 as we speak).

It’s not like that current advantage is set in stone, though; the Ravens have the second-toughest remaining schedule of all the teams currently seeded ahead of the Pats, trailing only the Steelers (.500 to .636). They will entertain the 7-4 Redskins next week with the back half of the season doubleheader with Pittsburgh looming, followed by a trip to Dallas and a finale with the Jaguars at home.

Seemingly, the aforementioned dominoes will be there, teetering in the AFC North, as the regular season draws to a close next month. The Patriots can give them a much needed nudge by turning the Steelers away today.

Oh, by the way - the Pats can also draw back to a ‘tie’ with the Jets today, if Denver beats New York while New England disposes of Pittsburgh, but the tie is quickly broken by the Jets’ superior division record (3-1 to 3-2).

One thing to keep in mind, though; the third division tiebreaker (after H2H and division record) is W/L percentage in common games. Beyond their AFCE divisional games, the Patriots and Jets will play eight common opponents this season; Denver, San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City from the AFCW, and Arizona, Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis from the NFCW.

To date, the Jets are 3-2 against that slate (beating Arizona, Kansas City and St. Louis while losing to San Diego and Oakland). The Patriots? 4-1 (beating Denver, Kansas City, the Niners and the Rams while losing to San Diego).

A rare (and perhaps temporary) tiebreaker advantage for the Pats that could grow even greater with a Broncos upset in the Meadowlands today, and it could very well enliven the AFCE race should the Jets (winners of their last five) suddenly hit turbulence as they attempt to land their first division title in six years.

Even if the Pats lose today, they could vault back to the top of their division by Week Fifteen with New England wins in Oakland and Seattle and Jets losses to Denver and division rival Buffalo (sandwiched around a win in San Francisco). That would draw both teams even in head to head and division tiebreakers, and bring the common game tiebreaker into play.

The possibility, however remote, places yet another intriguing domino on the table for the Patriots.

Scott Benson is the Editor and Co-Founder of Patriots Daily. He can be reached at scott@patriotsdaily.com.

The season moves along with more rivalry games and games that will decide who goes to the conference championships.

Auburn vs. Alabama (3:30 PM EST CBS)

Another year, another Iron Bowl. They say throw out the records when these two meet, but one wonders how the very mediocre 5-6 Auburn Tigers can keep up with #1 in the nation Alabama. If they can, it would be the upset of the year.

Auburn DT Tez Doolittle (#99)

Doolittle is a 294 lb. defensive tackle who is remarkably back starting for Auburn after snapping his Achilles in August of 2007. Doolittle was a highly-recruited defensive end who hasn’t played much until this year, along with suffering the major injury. He plays inside for Auburn. This year, in his first extended time, he has held up well. He has 7 tackles for loss. He has some potential and is a hard-worker who overcame a lot to come back from injury. He has talent. He just lacks experience and in a Patriots system, would be better suited as a defensive end. Still, in the last round or as an undrafted free agent would make a good project for the Pats.

Alabama C Antoine Caldwell (#59)

As far as evaluating a center, the one thing that can jump to the eye watching Caldwell is he is the clear leader of the line. You have to focus on him to see it, but you can just tell this 4-year starter is a special lineman and the type of smart, tough technician you need at center. He’ll likely be a first day pick and with Dan Koppen’s inconsistent play this year as well as Bill Belichick’s ties to Alabama coach Nick Saban, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Patriots take a run at the All-American candidate Caldwell.

This Week - Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3; Against AFC East 0-0)

Here’s a “Happy Black Friday” to all of the Patriots Daily readers.  It will also be a “Black Sunday” as the Blade will be host to the Steelers when they come out of the tunnel for the 4:15 PM EST kickoff.  Before we get into how the Pats will try to win the game, let’s start this off with some of the things everyone should know about the visitors.

Pittsburgh has the NFL’s Number 1 overall defense.  They are also #1 in the following defensive categories - Points Allowed (14.5), Total Yards per Game Allowed (235.4), Passing Yards per Game Allowed (168.8), and Rushing Yards per Game Allowed (66.5).  They are 3^rd in the NFL in Sacks Recorded (37), 3^rd in Rushing TDs allowed (4), 5^th in Passing TDs allowed (10) and tied for 7^th in Passes Defensed (71).  For a team is tied for 12^th in scoring offense, this type of defense is not only daunting but down right scary. 

Outside of the normal offensive mantra (control the ball, get manageable third downs and no turnovers), how do you score against this team?  Would you believe the old cliché - “A best offense is a good defense”?  In this game, that’s just what the Pats need to do to win.

The weakest link in the Steelers’ offensive game is actually the man behind center, otherwise known as Madden’s other QB man-love crush.  The singular-named Ben (since Old Man John can’t correctly pronounce his last name more than twice a game) has thrown eight interceptions, lost 2 fumbles, sacked 15 times and had an average QB Rating of 49.7.  Daunte Culpepper laughs at those stats, which is good because he needs a reason to smile right now.

It doesn’t help Crash the QB that the guys who are supposed to be his backfield are better at getting tackled than running.  They’re 25th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (a shade over 100 yds), 24^th in yards per rush (3.6) and are tied for 27^th in rushes longer than 20 yards (4).  I don’t expect these stats to dramatically rise against the Pats; even if Wee Willie Parker makes it back from a hobbled knee.

To have a chance to win against the Steelers, the Pats have to be aggressive with their defense.  If there is anything left in Capers tank, he needs to help Pees come up with some crazy blitzing schemes; both run and pass.  The Pats need to take away any kind of running game to force the issue with Roethlisberger and his accuracy issues. 

Well, here we are again. Another year, another game against the Steelers. So grab a terrible towel and use it to wipe off your grill - hey, there is a use for those things after all. I thought they were only good for drying the tears of Steelers fans and players.

Oh crap, I think I just hurt Hines Ward’s feelings. He’s crying now, but I’ll probably get blindsided later. Hines is tough that way. The Steelers haven’t been to Foxborough since the Patriot Place Mall opened. I hope for Hines’ sake he stays away. The Bass Pro is full of taxidermy - Hines wouldn’t be able to take the sight of those deer, foxes and wolves stuffed as decorations. Ben Roethlisbledsoe, on the other hand, should take a trip over - they have all sorts of four wheelers, power boats and other things he could drive fast and crash into something.

C’mon, Ben, what are you chicken? Dare you to drive that ATV through the Christmas Tree Shoppe.

Speaking of chicken. We’ll be making our take on a Pittsburgh favorite this weekend, a Cambodian chicken shish kebab. Invented by the owners of Cambod-Ican Kitchen, an American-Cambodian fusion restaurant, this dish drove their business from a single truck to a full fledged restaurant.

Innovation from Pittsburgh? I’m glad it hasn’t made its way onto the football field.

Cambodian Chicken Shish Kebab

3-4 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
2 green peppers, cut into slices
2 onions, sliced
1 tbs. sweet curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbs. sugar, Cambodian palm sugar would be the most authentic choice, brown sugar will work
1 tbs. sesame oil
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
Peel from 1 lime
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 loaves pita bread

It was a big win on Sunday, but just one small step to the playoffs for the Patriots.

New England’s emotional victory over Miami pushed the Patriots past the Dolphins into second place in the AFC East and seventh place in the conference if the playoffs started today.

That will have to do for now. The Patriots can’t expect to overcome their shoddy divisional and conference records in just one week.

Big computer problems here at PDHQ this morning, so flip to the Globe for a quick rundown on what the Patriots are up against with five games remaining.

You can get the rest of your Patriots news at BSMW or PatriotsLinks.com.

Wow. Who would have thought?

Who would have thought that, ten weeks after Tom Brady went down for the 2008 season, the quarterback position would have become the least of New England’s worries? Somewhere along the way, Mr. Matt Cassel has become a big-time professional.

Don’t be confused by your memories of the wide-eyed ninny running around the backfield during preseason games. What we have here, dear readers, is a bona fide NFL starter who passed for three touchdowns (30 of 43, 415 yards) and ran for another to propel his team to a 48-28 victory in a donnybrook with the Dolphins.

From an offensive standpoint, the holidays came early to New England. While Wes Welker (eight catches, 120 yards) and Jabar Gaffney (five, for 88) got open often, Randy Moss took advantage of single coverage throughout the afternoon, catching eight passes for 125 yards and three TDs.

Cassel began on a high note and kept singing, hitting Kevin Faulk (six grabs, 52 yards), Welker and Moss in succession to reach Miami’s 31. On first down from the 20, guard Stephen Neal was called for holding, putting New England back to the 30. (I, for one, am getting sick of the “least penalized team” graphic that shows up whenever the Pats commit a foul. For the record, they had six on Sunday.) Cassel hit Welker and Faulk to gain 18 of the necessary yards but couldn’t connect with Gaffney for the final two. Still, Gostkowski’s field goal at 10:13 told fans that the Pats had come to play.

After Cassel’s tipped-ball interception, Miami’s Chad Pennington (24 of 41, 341 yards, three TDs) made short work of a short field with a four-play, 42-yard touchdown drive to give the home team a 7-3 lead with 5:29 left in the first. New England’s defense failed to stop the Dolphins in the red zone all day, and even gave up 50 percent of third-down conversions.

We all know by now that times are tough in the newspaper business, but I was still surprised and disappointed to learn recently that staff cutbacks by GateHouse Media, the Fairport, NY-based owner of several Massachusetts dailies, had stilled the keys of one of the best Pats beat writers and columnists there is.

Douglas Flynn, who had covered both the Bruins and Pats since his arrival at the MetroWest Daily News in 2000, learned in October that his position would be among those cut.

Since its inception, the Sunday Links has often taken issue with certain coverage of the Patriots, but never with Flynn’s. Along with being a deft, thoughtful writer, Flynn was clearly a football fan at his core, and his appreciation for and curiosity about the game produced the kind of work that is too often in short supply in an increasingly sensationalistic media environment.

As a news consumer, I look at it like this - treat me with a little respect, and tell me something I don’t know. Nasty screeds about alleged sycophantic fat guys in Bruschi replicas illuminate nothing and contribute nothing. They’re craven attention-grabs designed purely to manipulate and infuriate, and promote an undeserving writer who thought so little of his audience that he would insult them for his own personal gain.

It was in those times that I most appreciated honest, sincere reporters like Doug Flynn, whose respect for his readers was a given. His clever piece on special teams gunners from early August is a great example; by peeling back the detail on an element of the game that we often overlook, he told me something I didn’t know.

His reporting often did. I had a chance to chat with Doug recently about his separation from the Pats beat, his take on today’s media, and his future plans.

Did GateHouse’s cuts at MWDN come as any surprise to you?

Cuts in the newspaper business have become so widespread, it’s hard to be surprised by any of them anymore. Still, I had no idea that I was about to be laid off. I had actually spent the day in Foxboro working on stories for the upcoming weekend and wasn’t informed of my layoff until my arrival in the office that night, so I was taken completely by surprise by the news. I was informed that the decision had nothing to do with the quality of my work and that it was due only to financial conditions. Obviously, it was a disappointing end to my tenure with the paper, but I am proud of the work I did there and I am appreciative of the opportunities I did have while writing for the MWDN.

MWDN has always had superlative Pats coverage, by people like Mike Reiss, Albert Breer, and you. How will the paper cover the Patriots now?

First, thank you for the kind words and for putting my in that company, particularly with Mike Reiss, who I have worked with, consider to be the best on the beat in this market and am proud to call a friend. I would also be remiss to not point out the work of Tom Curran, who is now one of the top national football writers for NBC.com but cut his teeth with the MetroWest and really was the first to bring the paper’s coverage of the Patriots to prominence. He is also someone I feel fortunate to have worked with and call a friend. As to the future, I obviously have no say in how the paper will continue its coverage of the Pats. I was told when they let me go that they would be focusing their resources on local sports, a strategy that many mid-sized papers have adopted, and that they would rely primarily on AP and the other Gatehouse papers (the Brockton Enterprise and Patriot Ledger) for copy on the Patriots and other Boston pro teams. Glen Farley of the Enterprise and Eric McHugh of the Ledger, who had the only Pats stories on the MWDN web wite I could find when I checked this week after receiving your email, are both solid beat guys who provide quality coverage and I would also assume that MetroWest columnist Lenny Megliola will continue to write about the Pats on occasion.

It seems to me that the end effect of all this will be fewer choices for fans seeking team coverage, which is kind of ironic considering a glut of choices -like those on the Internet, but on TV and radio too - is one of the things hastening this ‘redefinition’ of traditional media. Removing your professional hat for a moment - as someone who is at heart a passionate football fan, how do you view these developments?

I think even without the loss of many writers from the mid-sized papers due to economic conditions, there was already a lack of different voices in the market. Despite the addition of so many new outlets on the web and shows devoted to sports on TV and radio, too often it’s the same people expressing the same views or reporting the same news on all the various platforms. It would be nice to see more opportunities for some new voices and opinions, but that is harder now with fewer and fewer mid-sized papers covering the team on a regular basis.

If you could be Media Czar for a day, what things would you change about the profession?

It would take a lot more than a day to make any meaningful change, but if you could make it a full-time gig I’d be glad to take the job since I could use the work about now. On a more serious note, having returned to the perspective of a fan rather than a part of the media, my top wish would be to see more time devoted to actually talking about sports and the games themselves, rather than the soap-opera subplots and attempts to generate controversy that too often dominate the coverage in the papers and discussion on the airwaves.

If you had been able to finish the 2008 season with the Patriots, what kind of story do you think you would have written?

The only regret I have about leaving the MetroWest Daily News is that I had to do it in the middle of the season and couldn’t see the campaign to its conclusion. While last year was an amazing thing to witness and record with the club’s quest for perfection, I think this year’s storylines are even more compelling in many ways. Watching the maturation of Matt Cassel, seeing the defense trying to overcome the loss of leaders like Rodney Harrison and Adalius Thomas, gauging whether the club can return to its underdog roots and make it back to the Bowl, those were ongoing themes I would have enjoyed continuing to chronicle. There were also many individual stories I had planned to pursue. In fact, on my final day in Foxboro I sat down with Lonie Paxton for a one-on-one interview and spoke with Chris Hanson and a number of other special teamers for a Patriots Beat I had planned to write about the role of the long snapper, similar to a story I wrote earlier in the season on gunners.

In your career, you’ve covered football and hockey, and done some radio and TV. Yet you’re a Brown grad with degrees in History and Afro-American Studies. What’s next for Douglas Flynn?

That’s something I’m still working on. While I’d love to continue covering pro sports, with the current state of the newspaper industry I don’t really foresee staying in the business. As much as I enjoy writing and loved the time I spent covering the Patriots and Bruins, it was probably time for me to move on anyway and look into alternatives that allow for a better standard of living than a career in the newspaper world. I’m currently exploring some opportunities in public relations and also considering going into teaching, which was my original plan when I was at Brown before I got sidetracked into journalism after a brief stint in grad school on a fellowship for a doctoral program in military history at Ohio State. I probably won’t ever completely abandon writing though. I am currently discussing a book project on the Bruins’ tradition of tough guys and the bond between the enforcers and Boston’s fans (tentatively titled “Big, Bad and Beloved”) with several potential publishers and will always be looking for an outlet for my creative side, so hopefully you haven’t read the last thing from me yet.

I hope that’s true. As fans, we need more writers like Douglas Flynn, not fewer.

Scott Benson is the Editor and Co-Founder of Patriots Daily. He can be reached at scott@patriotsdaily.com.