Yesterday, he revealed little about what to expect Sunday. He had just reviewed film of the victory over the Jaguars, he said, and had yet to consider playing time for his starters.
“Honestly, I haven’t really given it any thought at all,’’ Belichick said. “My thoughts are on Jacksonville. We knew that was a game we needed to win. We put a lot into that game, and I’m glad the results came out the way they did. As I said last week, we’ll deal with next week, next week. We’ll deal with this week, this week.’’
Without being specific, Belichick was asked, does he have a philosophy on how to handle his current situation?
“Yeah, absolutely,’’ Belichick said. “Do whatever is best for our football team.’’
Belichick’s uncertainty proves there are two viable options. Several crucial players either have been sidelined by or played through injuries, including quarterback Tom Brady and nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
The Patriots could give themselves a virtual bye week and rest those players without penalty. They are vying for the third seed with the AFC North champion Bengals. The operative tiebreaker if the Patriots and Bengals finish with the same record is strength of victory, the combined record of the opponents a contender has defeated.
The Patriots hold an edge at the moment, but the final strength of victory for each team will depend on several results Sunday. The difference between the third and fourth seed will be negligible, anyway. Either seed plays a first-round home game and a second-round road game.
If the seeds play to form, the four seed may be more desirable - it would mean a second-round trip to Indianapolis instead of San Diego. The travel would be shorter, and the Chargers, having won 10 straight, are the league’s hottest team. The advantage for the three seed will materialize only in a remote scenario: if the Colts and Chargers are upset in the second round, the No. 3 seed would host the AFC title game.
