FOXBORO, Mass. — Not sure if you’ve heard yet, but Saturday night’s wild-card round matchup with the Tennessee Titans could be Tom Brady’s last game in a New England Patriots uniform. Or it could be his last home game at Gillette Stadium. Or maybe it won’t be either.
But those possibilities exist because Brady is 42 years old, in a contract year for the first time in his pro career, and the NFL has a single-elimination playoff format.
So, have those thoughts crept into Brady’s mind?
“I haven’t thought about those things and I wouldn’t be thinking about those things anyway,” Brady said. “It’s felt like a normal week for me. I just approach practice like I always have and try to do the best I can do. So, that’s what I’m going to try to do this weekend, as well. …
“I’m not much for nostalgia. I’m just pretty focused on what I need to do. This week’s felt pretty much like every other week of the last 20 years. Just trying to focus on what I need to do and this is a team that gives you a lot of challenges. Just have to go out there and play really well. They’re going to force us to really be tied together, and when we’re not, and when we haven’t been this year, we haven’t looked very good. When we have been tied together, it looks pretty good.”
Brady’s on the mark there. The Patriots looked tied together in Week 16 when they beat the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills. They did not look tied together in Week 17 when they lost to the 5-11 Miami Dolphins.
“Everyone being on the same page and working together and anticipating and confidence and all of those things play into it,” Brady said. “That’s kind of where it’s been this week.”
The Patriots will need to play their best football to beat the Titans and keep advancing in the postseason. And to do that, their offense must be “tied together.”
