Hours Before Kickoff: Week 16

If all goes as I hope, the game will essentially be over with by halftime. I’m not taking anything away from Buffalo as they’ve been playing recently. But I hope reality sets in, they remember they are the Bills, New England dominates and posts a 30-something point lead after two quarters.

Whether the Pats add to the lead or not in the third is not the point. What I want to know is how much longer do the starters play?

We’ve seen it a few times this season. The game is well in hand with several minutes left, yet QB Tom Brady is still dropping back throwing to his receivers. It leads to accusations of running up the score. That doesn’t bother me. What does concern me is the starters remaining in harm’s way when the result isn’t in doubt.

Take a good look at the injury report. Eight players are questionable and G Dan Connolly is doubtful with a concussion. Some of these players are starters that missed games. By my count there’s 13 games missed by the players listed on the injury report.

It’s been very noticeable along the defensive line. Mike Wright, Ron Brace, and Myron Pryor have combined to miss eleven games according to me. Wright and Pryor have missed the past four games; Pryor missed the last six.

It caught up to the Patriots against Green Bay. Without a full rotation to work with, the remaining defensive linemen played more and got worn down. A Packers team that averaged 98.8 yards per game pounded away for 143 yards.

As if the nagging injuries weren’t enough of a concern, I don’t wanna take the chance of a catastrophic injury happening during garbage time. It wasn’t even a year ago that WR Wes Welker blew out his knee untouched in a meaningless game against Houston. How horrible would it be for a key player to suffer a season-ending injury during garbage time?

Home field throughout the playoffs is at stake with this game so getting the win is imperative. But if the game is in hand, head coach Bill Belichick has to pull the starters and protect his players. Belichick has to trust his coaching and his players that they won’t pull a N.Y. Giants-like collapse.

And if the Pats secure their playoff spot this week, how Belichick handles his players next week against Miami will be scrutinized. As I said in the previous post, Welker, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and CB Devin McCourty are within reach of certain milestones with two games left in the season. Belichick will give them a chance to achieve them. But does Belichick play them just to feed them even though it’s wiser to pull the regulars and save them for the playoffs in two weeks?

Belichick won’t take any chances going into the playoffs. The starters will play a significant number of snaps even if there is nothing to play for against Miami. Belichick will play them until he’s satisfied that the team is still in rhythm in all phases. Hopefully it won’t be more than a quarter, if not less.

Of course the Patriots aren’t looking that far ahead. It’s always one game at a time. New England has to take care of business against the Bills. If they do their work efficiently, the frontline players could punch out early, followed by a token appearance a week later.

Have a Merry Christmas. A few things I’m looking for:

Maybin he Will: OLB Aaron Maybin is in his second season and has zero sacks. LT Matt Light doesn’t handle speed rushers well. It’s worth a shot for Maybin.

Run Circles Around the Wagons: Buffalo has the worst rush defense in the league, allowing 158.6 yards per game. A career day for Benny?

The Other, Other Johnson: After Andre and Calvin, Steve could be the next great Johnson wide out in the league. Don’t take the 6-2 speedster lightly.

I’m expecting recess led by QB Brian Hoyer and the rest of the bench players. Hopefully as soon as the third period. The Patriots get their act together for a win.