FOXBOROUGH — The final week of the season is here, and the Patriots have been eliminated from playoff contention. A loss to the Jets Sunday would virtually guarantee a top-three draft pick, and a win could drop them a couple of spots.
But coach Bill Belichick said he isn’t planning on sitting players.
“Players want to play — practiced, worked all year to play,” the coach said. “If they can play, I wouldn’t not play them. I think that’s fair to the player. I don’t know, maybe you see it differently.”
Belichick said he’s focused on playing those who have earned time rather than putting an emphasis on seeing what younger and newly acquired players have to offer.