Tom Brady played every offensive snap of Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. The following morning, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick explained why.
“Well, after the game, turns out it’s easy to go back and make those comments, make those suggestions,” Belichick said Monday in a conference call with reporters. “But I’ve seen a few games in this league, seen those double-digit leads evaporate in a minute or two. I know that’s not a big concern when it doesn’t happen, but then when it does happen, it’s a major crisis, and then there’s a lot of second-guessing about what should’ve been done or shouldn’t have been done. We just try to keep moving in the game. We’re just trying to win the game.”
The Patriots took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter of their 26-10 victory at Gillette Stadium and never relinquished it. They led by three touchdowns for much of the fourth quarter, keeping the Rams out of the end zone until the game’s final minutes. Jared Goff’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with 1:15 remaining closed out the scoring.
Brady, who is nursing a sore knee, said he agreed with Belichick’s decision to keep him in.
“I know (Sunday’s game was) 26-3 at one point, but we’re playing for a lot here,” Brady said Monday on WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan.” “I don’t think it’s ever right to take your foot off the gas pedal. We could use as many reps as possible, all the guys out there. There are different situations that come up in every game. You only get 16 weeks a year to try them out. You try them in practice, but there’s not the speed. There’s not the urgency.”
Brady, who notched his NFL-record 201st career victory Sunday, has played wire to wire in six of his eight games this season. Jimmy Garoppolo came in for garbage-time snaps in lopsided wins over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 and the Buffalo Bills in Week 8.
Brady’s teammates react to record-setting win >>
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
