To Rest Or Not To Rest? Patriots Have Decisions To Make in Advance Of Playoffs

To rest or not to rest, that is the question.

Besides armature bloggers plagiarizing the works of famous 17th century poets, there remains a modern day question of whether the talisman of football masterpieces - the great Bill Belichick - has any designs on resting his starters and injured players in the final two weeks of the regular season, having already secured at least the second seed in the American Football Conference.

Of course, having the second seed in the conference assures the Patriots of a first round bye, meaning that they do not participate in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but will be watching intently as they are guaranteed to host the highest remaining seed surviving the initial knock-out round - a fairly lofty achievement given their injuries this season, but certainly not the pinnacle of conference play...

...that would be securing the top seed, and with it a first round bye, a guaranteed hosting of the lowest remaining seed from Wild Card weekend and homefield advantage in the AFC Championship game, should they prevail in the Divisional round.

Obviously, having the top seed in the conference is important, but it isn't essential for winning out and making it to the Super Bowl, as the following chronology will attest:

2001 - 2nd seed, beat Oakland in Divisional round and Pittsburgh in the AFC Title game, then beat St. Louis in the Super Bowl

2003 - 1st seed, beat Tennessee in Divisional round, beat Indianapolis in AFC Title game, then beat Carolina in the Super Bowl

2004 - 2nd seed, beat Indianapolis in Divisional round, beat Pittsburgh in AFC Title game, then beat Philadelphia in the Super Bowl

2005 - 4th seed, beat Jacksonville in Wild Card round, lost to Denver in Divisional round

2006 - 4th seed, beat NY Jets in Wild Card round, beat San Diego Chargers in Divisional round, lost to Indianapolis in AFC Title game

2007 - 1st seed, beat Jacksonville in Divisional round, beat San Diego in AFC Title game, lost to NY Giants in Super Bowl

2009 - 3rd seed, lost to Baltimore in Wild Card round

2010 - 1st seed, lost to NY Jets in Wild Card round

2011 - 1st seed, beat Denver in Divisional round, beat Baltimore in AFC Title game, lost to NY Giants in Super Bowl

2012 - 2nd seed, beat Houston in Divisional round, lost to Baltimore in AFC Title game

2013 - 2nd seed, beat Indianapolis in divisional round, lost to Denver in AFC Title game

2014 - 1st seed, beat Baltimore in Divisional round, beat Indianapolis in AFC Title Game, beat Seattle in Super Bowl

For those keeping score, as the first seed under Belichick, the Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl four times and falling short just once, while as the second seed they are 2-2, and any thing lower than that, they are 0-3 - so as far as the difference between gaining the first seed instead of settling for the second seed, there really isn't that much of a difference, historically.

The Patriots need only to win one of their last two games to secure the top seed in the conference, but would also gain as much with one Cincinnati Bengals' loss in their final two games. There is no combination of wins and losses to be had - and it's pretty well cut and dried. New England has road trips to New York to play the Jets on Sunday, then to Miami to take on the Dolphins next Sunday...

...while the Bengals must travel to Denver for a Monday night affair, but then get to return home to host the lowly Baltimore Ravens to finish out their season. With health, the Bengals have enough to win both of their final two games - but their top quarterback, Andy Dalton, is out for the rest of the regular season with a fractured thumb.

Problem is, both teams they are facing have back up quarterbacks playing as well, Brock Osweiler for the Broncos and Matt Schaub for the Ravens. The Broncos have played well defensively but are finding things difficult in the scoring department on offense, while the Ravens are train wreck on both sides of the ball.

So, it is no guarantee that either team will be able to beat the Bengals, even with A.J. McCarron holding down the fort until Dalton returns for the post-season, so it is most prudent for the Patriots to concentrate on their own business and not allow chance to dictate their destiny - that is, if they even care about their seeding at all.

And that's the real question here: the Patriots have suffered through a record-shattering string of games lost to injury this season, at one point depleting the potency of the offense to where their struggles were not enough to overcome poor special teams play, so that we're looking at a team that is currently 12-2 instead of being undefeated...

...a truly remarkable accomplishment considering the aforementioned injury woes, but with a solid defense that has achieved elite status, New England is in position to control their own destiny.

The best scenario for the Patriots would be to beat the Jets on Sunday to clinch the conference's top seed, then piece together a skeleton crew for the game at Miami, which would have no bearing on anything at all. That would essentially give Belichick's charges a full three weeks to lick their wounds and to fuel up the juggernaut for a Super Bowl run to defend their title.

On the flip-side, however, is the scenario in which the Patriots just go ahead and minimize the snap counts of the starters against the Jets and letting their fortunes rest on back ups, then wait and see what happens between the Bengals and Broncos on Monday night before deciding how to proceed against the Dolphins next Sunday - as it may turn out that resting starters against the Jets could give the Patriots' injured nearly a full calendar month to regain health, should Denver prevail over Cincinnati.

That is, of course, if Belichick even cares about securing the top seed in the conference - because right now his team is sitting pretty with the second seed, while everyone else is scrambling to either improve their seeding, or to even make the playoffs at all - and one of those teams, the Broncos, could actually miss the playoffs if they lose one more game.

So with so much riding on Monday night's game against the Bengals for the Broncos, perhaps it is in Belichick's best interest to take a wait-and-see approach to the top seed, then plan for Miami accordingly.

Brady silences detractors as Patriots stomp Bengals

New England quarterback Tom Brady reacts to his touchdown pass to tight end Tim Wright in the first quarter.

Suddenly, everything makes sense.

Or nothing does, depending on your point of view, but one thing is for sure when it comes to the New England Patriots: count them out at your own risk.

For certain, their blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Monday night was enough to give pause to the fan base, and also provided enough ammunition for the notoriously negative and sensationalist Boston press to fire their yellow salvos directly at quarterback Tom Brady...

...and at head ball coach Bill Belichick, the offensive line and the entire defense - heck, the blood was in the water and the aggressive Boston media were like hammerhead sharks in the midst of a feeding frenzy, and nothing - not even the hallowed persona of Brady - were beyond their vice-like jaws.

Well, after the Patriots performance on Sunday night, the Patriots have a question for the media: How did that taste?

How did nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns from Brady taste?  How tantilizing were the 46 carries that established the power running game?  And didn't those bulls up front offer up some bodacious grub, complete with all the trimmings?

Brady passed for nearly 300 yards and was sacked just once, while running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen powered through the Cincinnati Bengals' stout front seven for 220 yards on the ground, controlling the clock to the tune of a nearly two-to-one advantage as New England started fast and stomped the bewildered and previously undefeated Bengals by a score of 43-17.

Ridley carried the heavy load for New England on the ground, going a season-high 27 times for 113 yards and a touchdown, while battery mate Shane Vereen stole the ground show with 90 yards on nine flashy carries behind an offensive line that may have stumbled upon the right combination to both drive block for the backs and to keep Brady clean.

How clean?  Brady was sacked just the one time, which was an anomaly given that it was the result of tight end Rob Gronkowski trying to block Cincinnati defensive end Robert Geathers one-on-one, Geathers reaching around Gronkowski and pulling Brady down - but Brady was not even so much as inconvenienced either before or after that.

Brady had clean pockets most of the night, as did Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton - the Patriots' pass rush unable to penetrate the Bengals' excellent offensive line until defensive tackle Chris Jones hit paydirt on a sack of Dalton in the final period.

Dalton was 15 of 24 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, but got little help from the running game as Cincinnati found themselves in an early 14-0 hole, and all but abandoned the ground game in the second half, which is unfortunate for them as running back Giovani Bernard was getting close to five yards a pop...

...but a Ridley run and a Tim Wright 17 yard catch for early scores and two Stephen Gostkowski field goals put the Bengals in full pass mode, Dalton's 24 official pass attempts a bit misleading as five New England defensive penalties bailed him out of incompletions and at least one interception, extending Cincinnati drives.

Dalton did, however, throw a touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu to get the Bengals to within two scores early in the third quarter, but Brady responded with a seam job to Gronkowski to extend the lead back to three possessions, then running back Brandon Bolden delivered the dagger on the ensuing kickoff, forcing a Brandon Tate fumble that cornerback Kyle Arringotn scooped up and returned to the house.

But the best part of the night was when Belichick and Brady took a little orchestrated stab at the media, sending in rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to run the victory formation - the move in reference to the media's collective assertion that there may have been a quarterback controversy brewing as the result of Brady being benched late in the blowout loss to Kansas City.

There was even talk of Brady being dealt to one of as many as ten teams in search of an upgrade, but all of that lunacy was put to rest on Sunday night, at least until the next time that Brady struggles or Belichick makes a personnel move that is baffling - but when offered the opportunity to take a verbal jab at the media during his post-game presser, Belichick wouldn't be suckered in.

"Look, we have a job to do" Belichick siad when asked if the win was especially gratifying in light of all the criticism from the media this past week, "We're not going to sit around listening to what everybody else says.".

And just like that, we're on to Buffalo.

New England Patriots on Paper - 2014 Schedule: Patriots open at Miami, close with three straight division foes

Two straight on the road to start the season, three division rivals in a row to end it, and with a literal plethora of Nationally televised night games in between, the New England Patriots 2014 schedule has been released by the National Football League.

New England opens at Miami on September 7th, then travel to Minnesota, luckily for an early autumn day game at their temporary digs at the University of Minnesota before finally playing before the home folks, hosting the Oakland Raiders in Week 3...

...the middle of the season highlighted with a Monday night visit to Kansas City, a Thursday night home duel with the hated Jets and three Sunday night games hosting the Bengals and visiting Indianapolis and San Diego.

New England ends the regular season with successive contests hosting the Dolphins, traveling to New York to play the Jets and then hosting the Bills.

Regular Season

Sunday, September 7th

New England @ Miami Dolphins
Sun Life Stadium - Miami Gardens, Florida - 1:00PM

After running for 156 yards in a November contest with the Dolphins in Foxborough, the Patriots came into the December game with Miami and completely abandoned their running game - and the result was predictable as the Dolphins took a 24-20 win at Sun Life Stadium as unknown and freshly signed safety Michael Thomas broke up a pass intended for Danny Amendola and then picked off a pass in the end zone intended for Austin Collie to secure the Dolphins' win.  Thomas was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Sunday, September 14th

New England @ Minnesota Vikings
TCF Bank Stadium - Minneapolis, Minnesota- 1:00PM

The Vikings will play all of their home games on the campus of the University of Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium, which precludes them from hosting any Monday night or Thursday night games until the last two weeks of the NFL season due to conflicts with the scheduling of other events on the campus.

What a lucky break for the Patriots, as they catch the Vikings in the early fall with an early afternoon start.  Since the Vikings are forced to play their home games outdoors for the next two seasons, whomever has to visit Minnesota in late December is going to be very cold.

Sunday, September 21st

Oakland Raiders @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts  1:00PM

Two words: Tuck Rule.  Be prepared to hear that over and over and over again leading up to this matchup in Foxborough.  Ask any Raiders' fan about that playoff game back in 2001, when Raiders' cornerback strip-sacked Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, the fumble recovered by Oakland linebacker Greg Beikert for what would have probably been a game ending turnover, but referee Walt Coleman overturned the call of fumble on the field, saying that Brady's arm was moving forward and deemed in an incomplete pass.

The Patriots were able to get an Adam Venitieri field goal to send the game into overtime, then another to beat the Raiders on their way to the first NFL title in New England franchise history.

Monday, September 29th

New England @ Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri - 8:30PM

These teams may not have played each other in a while, but that doesn't mean there's not a history between them - and just the fact that they are playing at Arrowhead is chilling, as it can be one of the more intimidating venues in the league.

Bernard Pollard is no longer with the Chiefs, but was wearing the uniform when he shredded Tom Brady's knee on opening day in 2008 - in fact, there is no one left on that Kansas City team from that fateful day, but New England coach Bill Belichick is good buddies and frequent draft day trading partner with Kansas City coach Andy Reid.

Again, a lucky break for New England as they catch a Chiefs' team in the Fall instead of winter time, when it becomes bitterly cold in Kansas City.


Sunday, October 5th

Cincinnati Bengals @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 8:30PM

A grudge match of sorts for the Patriots, as they fell to the Bengals 13-7 last season in monsoonal rains in Cincinnati - the dismal offensive performance leading to New England's first loss of the season after a 4-0 start.  The game also marked the end of the season for defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who suffered a torn ACL one week after nose tackle Vince Wilfork went down with a torn Achilles tendon.

Sunday, October 12th

New England @ Buffalo Bills
Ralph Wilson Stadium - Orchard Park, New York - 1:00PM

The Patriots paid a heavy price for their season opening win in western New York, losing running back Shane Vereen to a broken wrist and Danny Amendola to a completely torn adductor muscle - though both finished the game, Vereen rushing for over 100 yards despite breaking the wrist on the first play of the game and Amendola gutted out 104 receiving yards on 10 catches.

Vereen went on the IR - Eligible to return list and Amendola was never a factor the rest of the season but showed plenty in his Patriots' debut to be excited for his potential, and the Patriots set an ominous tone for the season with the first of many come-from-behind wins.

And again, catching the Bills in Buffalo in early October is much preferable to challenging both them and Old Man Winter in late December...

Thursday, October 16th

New York Jets @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 8:25PM

Tom Brady had a very public meltdown just before halftime of this contest last season, jumping all over his rookie receivers for zigging instead of zagging, and the Jets' defense held the Patriots' offense to a paltry 232 total yards, but the New England defense forced four turnovers and the Jets' inexplicably turned away from their dominant running game as the Patriots' escaped with a 13-10 victory in a nationally televised Thursday night game.

Looks as if the Patriots and Jets are going to become annual Thursday night rivals..


Sunday, October 26th

Chicago Bears @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 1:00PM

Just as with the Green Bay Packers, the history that the Patriots have with the Bears is limited to a game every four years, and that dismal Sunday back in 1986 when the Bears and their Super Bowl Shuffle crushed the Patriots by a score of 46-10 in one of the worst blowouts in Super Bowl history.

Going into the game, the Patriots were said to have a rampant drug problem that permeated the team, a story that was told with gusto by the national media, prompting one national writer to quip, "The Bears gave the Patriots their drug problem - they drug them all over the field."

Sunday, November 2nd

Denver Broncos @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 4:25PM

No build up needed for this game, though it figures to be hyped and over-hyped ad nauseum for the entire week before the contest.  And why not?  After all, the teams split their two meeting last season, the Patriots taking an epic come-from-behind win in Foxborough during the regular season, then the Broncos winning the AFC Title over New England in January.

Sunday, November 9th

Bye Week

Sunday, November 16th

New England @ Indianapolis Colts
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, Indiana - 8:30PM

Surprise, surprise, surprise...the Colts and Patriots meet once again - this time in Indianapolis where quarterback Andrew Luck will try to lead his Colts to a payback victory of sorts over a Patriots' team that eliminated them from the playoffs last January, former Patriots' running back LeGarrette Blount enjoying an epic performance against the Indianapolis defense and their kick coverage units.

Sunday, November 23rd

Detroit Lions @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 1:00PM

The New England offensive line may feel like they owe the Lions' defensive line a good beating for the way the Lions jacked them up in the preseason last year by a score of 40-9 that wasn't even that close.  It was supposed to be the dress rehearsal for both teams, but Brady was pulled at halftime for the sake of his own health as the Lions pummeled the quarterback into submission.

Sunday, November 30th

New England @ Green Bay Packers
Lambeau Field - Green Bay, Wisconsin - 4:25PM

Not an abundance of history between the teams, just a little game called Super Bowl 31, a game where Patriots' quarterback Drew Bledsoe and running back Curtis Martin led a third quarter comeback to get the Patriots to within six after trailing by two touchdowns, Martin taking it in from 18 yards out to make the score 27-21 and give New England all of the momentum - but then Desmond Howard broke their backs with a 99 yard return of the ensuing kickoff and the Patriots' didn't score again.

Will it be deathly cold in Green Bay?  If so, the Patriots can always just think about the warm sun and sandy beaches of San Diego next week...

Sunday, December 7th

New England @ San Diego Chargers
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, California - 8:25PM

So long as LaDanian Tomlinson isn't playing, all should be good between these teams.  Tomlinson was part of a team that was eliminated two consecutive years by the Patriots, including a 21-12 win in the 2007 AFC Title game in which Tomlinson essentially quit on his team - and was one of the first players to speak out against Bill Belichick when SpyGate emerged, stating, "I think the Patriots actually live by the saying 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying,'"

recently, there hasn't been much of a history, other than New England signing since-departed Steve Gregory three years ago, and the Patriots losing third-down back Danny Woodhead to the Chargers last offseason.  The Chargers' offense will be a stiff test for New England's new-look defensive secondary with a revitalized Phillip Rivers tossing the most deep balls in the league last season.


Sunday, December 14th

Miami Dolphins @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 1:00PM

The Patriots beat the Dolphins in a tightly contested struggle in mid-November last season, coming back from a 17-3 halftime deficit to outscore Miami 24-0 in the second half as part of an amazing six-week stretch where they opened each contest with poor offensive performances, then came screaming back into the games to win going away.  The New England running game gouged the Miami defense for 156 yards while quarterback Tom Brady suffered one of his worst days as a pro, barely hitting the century mark.

Sunday, December 21st

New England @ New York Jets
MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford, New Jersey - 1:00PM

The New England defense surrendered 177 yards on the ground to the potent Jets' running attack and the offense was limited to 295 total yards, but as had been a theme with the Patriots all season, they were resilient enough force the Jets into overtime, but a pair of personal fouls in the extra period - including one on rookie defensive tackle Chris Jones for unsportsman-like conduct for using the backs of his defensive teammates to launch himself in the air to try and block a long field goal attempt - doomed New England to their second loss of the season.

New York kicker Nick Folk missed the long field goal attempt which would have given New England excellent field position close to midfield, but Jones' penalty gave the Jets mew life and three plays later Folk nailed a 42 yarder to end the game.

Sunday, December 28th

Buffalo Bills @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts - 1:00PM

The Patriots closed out their season on a roll, particularly on the ground as their power running game accounted for 267 yards as New England dominated the Bills.  As usual, the Bills racked up plenty of rushing yards themselves, but their defense had no answer for LeGarrette Blount, who ran wild for the second week in a row.

Previously released Preseason schedule

Thursday, August 7th
New England @ Washington Redskins
FedEx Field - Landover, Maryland - 7:30pm

Friday, August 15th
Philadelphia Eagles @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts  - 7:30pm

Friday, August 22nd
Carolina Panthers @ New England
Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Massachusetts  - 7:30pm

Thursday, August 28th
New England @ New York Giants
MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford, New Jersey - 7:30pm