The Patriots clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs following the Broncos' Monday night loss to the Bengals.
With nothing to play for in Week 17, Bill Belichick could be tempted to rest his core players in Sunday's season finale against the Bills. If it was Tom Brady's decision, the Patriots would use Week 17 as a chance to get their offense back in a groove.
"After the last few weeks of football, I'd love to go out there and see if our offense can put together the best 60 minutes of football that we've put together in a long time," Brady told WEEI in Boston, via Boston.com. "We've been up and down as of late. We've got to start really putting some great football together here in (this) next (game). We got the bye so we've got to be able to win this week and then we get the bye and then play at home and we take care of business."
"There's a lot of guys that could probably use a little time off," he said. "But at the same time, this is football season and you play through whatever you got and you deal with those things when your season ends. All those things are coach's decisions. I want us to go out and win, that's what I want. I don't care about resting. I want to go out there and try to kick some butt. That's what I want to do."
This is New England's fifth-consecutive year with a first-round bye, but Belichick doesn't have a set method on how he handles games like Sunday. Don't be surprised if Brady and Co. get a half to try to work out the kinks. If their struggles continue, they could be out there the whole game.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Week 16 game and breaks down the playoff picture. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
