Mike Vrabel Reveals Patriots’ Week 18 Plan For Starters
'Probably everybody that's healthy will play'
Mike Vrabel doesn’t plan on resting his New England Patriots stars with the division in hand.
The Patriots clinched the AFC East with a blowout win over the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Yet they can still earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed and first-round bye with a Week 18 victory over the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Vrabel said Monday morning on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” that he intends to play his available starters this Sunday.
“Probably everybody that’s healthy will play,” Vrabel said. “I mean, that’s just where we’re at, and I haven’t looked too far into it this morning here. But I would anticipate everybody that’s healthy will play in the football game.”
Vrabel’s decree means Drake Maye should get one last opportunity to polish his MVP case, and Stefon Diggs is 30 yards from becoming the organization’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.
However, Vrabel could exude more caution with several banged-up players. Robert Spillane, Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Kayshon Boutte and Jared Wilson were among the key starters who missed Sunday’s rout in New Jersey.
Will Campbell and Alex Austin are also eligible to return from the injured reserve, giving Vrabel an interesting choice if both players can suit up.
The Athletic’s Playoff Simulator gives the Patriots a 34 percent chance of locking down the top seed, so it’s far from a pipe dream. Yet the Chargers may take it easy against the Broncos since they’re already locked into a wild-card spot.
Both games kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET, giving Vrabel and the Patriots no chance to scoreboard-watch before reaching a final verdict on Sunday.
