Krause: Sunday win by Patriots was huge

Idle chatter saved up from a week’s worth of vacation …I don’t think many people comprehend what a significant victory the Patriots scored Sunday.From a factual standpoint, the Pats even their road record at 4-4, but the other three victories were against a bad Atlanta team, the Houston Texans (awful) and the Buffalo Bills (in the parlance of the day … meh). The Baltimore Ravens are a significant upgrade from the aforementioned three. First, they’re the defending NFL champs. Second, they’ve killed the Pats in the past. And third, even at their middling record, they’re a real team.The victory gives them hope that even in their compromised state, the Patriots can go into a place like Denver (which, if they beat Buffalo Sunday, will be the only place they’ll have to go on the road) and win.It also cured some of the doubts that lingered after last week’s loss in Miami.With Vonn Miller out with a torn ACL, the Denver defense has taken a huge hit, by the4 way, and the injury makes the Broncos more vulnerable than they were two days ago.Most important, the AFC is such a mediocre collection of deeply flawed teams that the Patriots can beat anybody … and anybody can beat the Patriots.uThese Celtics are frustrating. Just when you say to yourself, “gee, maybe taking isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be; and maybe they’re better than we thought …” they go and blow two big leads and look awful against the Pacers Sunday (to be fair, everyone else has looked bad against Indiana too). Will the real Boston Celtics please stand up?uGiven the Southeastern Conference’s record over the past few years, I’m going with Auburn in the national championship game over Florida State. Just in case you were wondering.uJust Tony Romo’s luck. He comes through in the clutch, and does it in a way nobody can find fault with it, and he gets hurt and – reportedly – won’t play against Philadelphia next week.uI say work with David Ortiz and keep him here as long as possible. He deserves that much. This business doesn’t always have to be about next year. Again, just my opinion.uAnd sign Stephen Drew. Good shortstops don’t grow on trees.uSincere condolences, on behalf of both myself, personally, and our entire department, go out to Paul Halloran – a former sports editor here – on the loss of his mother Saturday. Paul’s no stranger to volunteerism and civic-mindedness. Thanks to him, the annual Agganis games go off without a hitch.uAll this week, we will be accepting suggestions on what our top local stories for 2013 are. Those interesting in taking part can email us at [email protected], and tell us your nomination, and provide a paragraph or two to explain how you arrived at your conclusion.uMerry Christmas to everyone out there … May it be a happy and a peaceful one for all.