The New England Patriots once again have a first-round bye in the playoffs and some players definitely are appreciative.
Another postseason, another first-round bye for the New England Patriots. It is just what the team does. This is the 9th straight season that the Patriots have a first-round bye.
The Patriots head into the playoffs on a high note. They completely dominated the New York Jets in Week 17. It was the type of performance that has you confident in the Patriots ability to make it to the Super Bowl.
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New England is going to need all of their star players to perform at the highest level. The AFC is absolutely wide open. It seems like anything could happen this year. If the Patriots failed to make the Super Bowl it wouldn’t be that big of a shocker.
The Patriots offense has struggled to get things going at times and had some brutal losses in the regular season. I still don’t know how the Patriots lost to the Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It is definitely a good thing that the New England Patriots have a bye week to rest up. This will allow for some injured players to heal up as well as some veterans to get some extra rest and prepare for the divisional round.
So let’s take a look at the 3 New England Patriots that will benefit the most from the bye week.
1. Tom Brady
It was clear this season that Tom Brady is not the spry chicken he once was. Brady can play so well that you forget he is 41 years old, but at times this season his age clearly showed.
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Moving forward life on the gridiron will be difficult for Brady. I don’t think 40-year-olds are built to play in the NFL. Brady has done a great job with his dieting and working out, but it doesn’t matter how much avocado ice cream you have, the demands of an NFL season take its toll on you.
Overall I would say Brady had a good season. The quarterback threw for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
At times Brady looked like his regular self, but at other times he looked like he had lost a step. There were some plays where Brady made some awful throws and his decision making was questionable. The last time Brady threw this many picks was in 2013.
Hopefully, Brady will be rested and recharged as the New England Patriots look to return to the Super Bowl.
2. Rob Gronkowski
This has been a rough season for Rob Gronkowski to say the least. This year has been so rough I would be surprised to see Gronk return to the New England Patriots next season.
We have watched a shooting star here in New England. When Gronkowski was on top of his game no one could stop him. He established himself as the best tight end in the NFL.
Sadly Gronk has quickly fizzled out. The wear and tear of NFL life has completely changed Gronk’s game and it hasn’t been pretty to watch.
Gronkowski has been a shell of himself this season only scoring 3 touchdowns.
New England is going to need Gronk to figure things out and be a major part of their offense. If not the Patriots may be headed home sooner than Patriots fans expect.
Rest is the most beneficial thing for Gronkowski at this point in his NFL career.
3. Devin McCourty
Devin McCourty may not be the best player on the New England Patriots defense but he plays a major role. McCourty is the leader of the secondary and a great safety.
This season McCourty had 1 interception (which was returned for a touchdown), 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries, and 82 tackles.
McCourty suffered a concussion in Week 17 and is definitely happy the Patriots secured the bye. If New England had to play this week I don’t know if McCourty would have played.
So now McCourty gets to rest and recover from the injury and hopefully, he will be out there in the playoffs.
This is Patriots fans favorite time of the year. We love the playoffs. It is when the real season starts.
With a well-rested team, there is no one who can stop the New England Patriots. That is why it is so important that the Pats secured a first-round bye.