Bill Belichick almost certainly isn’t going to reveal the New England Patriots’ game plan or whether he’ll rest some key players Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Thus, we’re left to read between the lines.
Judging by Tom Brady’s comments Tuesday on WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan,” the Patriots quarterback is expecting to play in the regular-season finale, and it wouldn’t be surprising if most of New England’s starters see ample playing time despite the team already having a first-round playoff bye locked up.
“We haven’t discussed that,” Brady said of the Patriots potentially resting starters, per WEEI.com. “The game ended and (Belichick) gave us a couple of days off. We’re headed into work (Tuesday), but I’ve been grinding on Miami (since Monday) and I have all the stuff I normally have.”
The Patriots improved to 13-2 with a 41-3 win over the New York Jets this past Saturday. They still haven’t secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed (and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs), but they can do so with a win over the Dolphins or if the Oakland Raiders lose to the Denver Broncos in Week 17.
In other words, New England still has something to play for, which complicates matters, to some extent, leading up to Sunday’s game. As such, Brady and the Patriots seem to be taking a business-as-usual approach to preparing for the Dolphins, especially since New England lost its final two regular-season games (and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs) last season before ultimately falling to Denver in the AFC Championship Game.
“I think it’s really a mindset we’ve had all season,” Brady said. “I think after that Denver game it was very apparent to everybody how we — the guys that were here last year and there are a lot of guys who weren’t here last year — but to lose those last two games, that was rough.
“To lose something we have worked very hard to gain, which we weren’t (the top seed last season) and then having to go play in Denver, which was a tough place to play. All of us just said, ‘Look, if we can control it, let’s go out there and control it.’ ”
The Patriots have had some struggles against the Dolphins in Miami in recent seasons. The ‘Fins also are carrying a 10-5 record into Sunday’s contest and there’s a chance the teams could hook up in the postseason. The showdown won’t be a cakewalk, by any means, regardless of how many snaps New England’s starters end up playing.
“We’d like to finish strong,” Brady said. “This will be a big game. They are a playoff team. They’ve won nine of 10, so they are playing as well as anybody. We’ve always had a tough time playing in Miami for one reason or another. It would be great to go down and finish 14-2.”
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
