E-Mail This Article to a Friend Breaking down the Patriots’ 2005-’06 schedule (part 2) BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Earlier this week, we analyzed the first half of the New England Patriots’ 2005 schedule; today, the second half, beginning in mid November.

Week 9 (11/13, 1 p.m.): The Pats open the second half with their first real patsy since week one, along with their first day game in nearly a month. Host Miami may or may not be improved on the field, but it certainly is coaching-wise, with former Belichick protégé Nick Saban taking the reins after the Dolphins’ 4-12 2004 campaign. A November game is odd for this rivalry, so neither team should have a weather-factored advantage. Normally, the Pats might take this game for granted — unless they’ve somehow forgotten the week-15 debacle last December (a 29-28 MNF collapse) that represented the team’s final loss of the season (and sole setback in a dozen post-Halloween contests).

Week 10 (11/20, 1 p.m.): If it’s anything like past Saints teams (8-8 last year), this squad should be beginning its second-half collapse about now. New England will be home for the third game in four post-bye week match-ups, and unless things significantly change roster-wise by the time these teams meet, this could be the Patriots’ easiest game of the season to date.

Week 11 (11/27, 1 p.m.): Three days after Thanksgiving, the Pats will travel to KC for the second year in a row. Last year, New England spanked the Chiefs, 27-19 on MNF in week 10, and it seems difficult to imagine that Dick Vermeil’s defense is yet up to the task of derailing the Patriots’ high-powered attack. Depending on what happened in week 8 against Indy, this game could very well represent the champs’ fifth straight victory.

Week 12 (12/4, 4:15 p.m.): Tough to imagine that it’ll be December and the Patriots and Jets will finally be meeting for the first time (and they’ll reunite three weeks’ hence). New England has won the last four (and six of the past seven) meetings between these long-time rivals, and this contest in Foxboro will hinge on whether 32-year-old RB Curtis Martin is still holding up for NY and QB Chad Pennington has avoided injury. This will be the Jets’ third road game in four outings (and fifth in seven), so it stands to reason that the Pats — facing their first foe in a month that sported a winning record in 2004 — should have a slight advantage.

Week 13: (12/11, 1 p.m.): The wind whippin’ off Lake Ontario should be in full force when the Patriots make their annual visit to Buffalo. Heading into this season, New England had won three straight (and eight of nine) against the franchise that is now hitching its wagon to second-year QB J.P. Losman (who threw all of five passes last year backing up Drew Bledsoe) and former UMiami back Willis McGahee. Without Bledsoe to provide an easy mark for the Patriot D, the Bills will likely give New England a better fight than in past match-ups, but whether it’s enough to prevail remains to be seen.

Week 14 (12/17, 1:30 p.m.): Should be a gimme for Belichick’s bunch for this nationally televised Saturday contest against the formerly fearsome Buccaneers at Gillette. Since winning the 2003 Super Bowl, Jon Gruden’s disciples have gone 5-11 and 7-9 without even a sniff of the playoffs. Even worse for the Bucs here: not only will they probably already be out of this year’s postseason race by the time they arrive, but it’ll mark Tampa Bay’s third straight road game.

Week 15 (12/26): Right back to game-planning for the Jets for Belichick and crew, as the two teams will meet on the day after Christmas for the second time in a month’s time — this time in the Meadowlands. Hard to believe too much will have changed during that three-week respite, although the playoff ramifications will likely be that much more magnified.

Week 16 (1/1): Happy new year! The regular season concludes with the Dolphins returning to their least-favorite December venue (they haven’t won here since 2000). Even worse, a quirk in the Fins’ schedule means that by the time it arrives, Miami will not have played a game in a cold-weather city since November 20 (Cleveland). In fact, other than that, the Dolphins’ most-northernmost contest after week five will have been in Oakland in late November; in other words, they will not have even realistically seen winter until they arrive in Foxboro to close out the year. You give ’em a chance?

In all, the Patriots’ first-half opposition will sport a collective 81-47 (.632) record, including five playoff teams and four division winners; the second-half opponents’ 2004 mark will be 57-71 (.445), which includes just two playoff teams (the Jets twice).

Our recommendation to the Patriots? Stay above water the first half, putting yourself into the position where brutal second-half schedules endured by many of your conference rivals begin to take their toll. Simple as that.

As the late NC State hoops coach Jim Valvano used to advise his minions entering the NCAA tournament: Survive and advance.

Survive and advance.

Thanks to those diabolical NFL schedule-makers, the 2005 Patriots will find that that’ll be easier said than done.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com, and Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com