FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots can secure a first-round bye Sunday when they welcome the New York Jets to Gillette Stadium. And even though it’s the regular-season finale, some will treat Week 17 as if it were the playoffs.
New England clinched the AFC East for the 10th-consecutive season with its Week 16 victory over the Buffalo Bills, and have enjoyed the luxury of the first-round bye every year since 2010. A loss means it’s possible the Pats won’t get the extra rest before the playoffs begin, however, so they’re keeping their focus on the Jets.
During their Wednesday press conference, safety Patrick Chung and running back James White noted they will take the gridiron with the mentality that Sunday’s tilt is a postseason game, and that they aren’t looking ahead at what’s to come.
“We’re just focused on this week right now, not focused on the playoffs,” White said. “We treat this game like a playoff game because that’s pretty much what it is. It’s going to be a tough game, a tough division game. It’s always tough when we play these guys.”
Chung mirrored his teammate’s comments.
“For us it’s a playoff game. We just worry about what we control in our game,” the safety said. “In our game, if things happen, it can work out. Things don’t happen, we know we did our job. It’s really a playoff game for us to be able to get that bye week. It’ll be a good opportunity for us to go get that.”
The odds certainly are in New England’s favor, as Tom Brady and Co. have defeated the Jets seven consecutive times at Gillette.
