Crowe: Opening Week of the NFL Playoffs and Patriots' Reboot

Crowe: Opening Week of the NFL Playoffs and Patriots' Reboot

Now comes the interesting part for your New England Patriots. After being bounced from playoff contention in week 18 by the Buffalo Bills, Bill Belichick and crew embark on an offseason that could be full of chaos, confusion, and most importantly, change.

Less than 24 hours after being eliminated, could Belichick have thrown a shot toward owner Robert Kraft during his post-regular season wrap-up press conference?

“What we try to do is we look at it over a time frame. One year is a polaroid snapshot, but actually, there are multiple years involved. At some point, the reconciliation has to come. Our spending in 2020, our spending in 2021 and our spending in 2022, the aggregate of that, was we were 27th in the league in cash spending. Couple years we're low, one year was high, but over a three-year period, we are one of the lowest spending teams in the league.,” said Belichick according to the team’s website.

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That little remark was later walked back by Belichick as he reportedly tried to clarify his remarks later to the Boston Globe, saying that the Krafts always tried to do what’s best for the organization. But maybe it was just Bill’s passive-aggressive way of firing the first arrow of the offseason. After all, all season long we’ve heard reports that the Patriots' head coach could be in a bit of trouble with ownership after an 8-9 season in which the Pats missed the playoffs. Back in March, Kraft told the media at the owners’ meetings that the goal of this season was to not only make the postseason but to win a game in the playoffs. With the disappointment of being on the outside looking in coupled with the coaching circus the offense had to go through with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge taking the reigns offensively, a role neither had done before, Kraft surely doesn’t want a repeat in 2023.

If Kraft and Belichick aren’t on the same page, things could get quite wonky in Foxboro. The status quo surely will not cut it. The Patriots have the fourth-most cap space to spend, $53 million, according to PatsCap, and I’m sure Belichick wants to make sure his owner spends it all. Of course, you could point to just two years ago when the Patriots went on a spending spree in 2021 when they scooped up Matthew Judon, Nelson Aghalor, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, amongst others. While Judon’s been an All-Pro, Aghalor, Henry and Smith surely have disappointed while counting for $39 million against the 2022 salary cap yet scoring just four touchdowns.

A report out of Foxboro Wednesday from NBC Sports.com’s Tom Curran hinted that changes will be made but that no coaches would be fired, rather just reassigned. In true Patriots’ fashion, those changes are not expected to be announced but rather just appear one day. Maybe it’s Bill O’Brien returning to New England as offensive coordinator, or maybe even an outsider like former Pats QB and recently fired Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury coming in to help third-year quarterback Mac Jones, but rest assured, changes are coming. It’s just a matter of how jarring and how improving they can be. After all, the Patriots have to sit back and watch the Bills and Dolphins play in the playoffs while just squeaking by the Jets for third place in the highly competitive AFC East.

As for who is still playing this weekend, things will look mighty familiar to football fans. All six games in the Super Wild Card Round are rematches from the regular season. All six home teams had a win over their road counterparts although to be fair, the Dolphins and Ravens split their two games with the Bills and Bengals respectively.

 

Super Wild Card Weekend Games
(Chiefs and Eagles receive first-round byes)

 

#7 Seahawks at #2 49ers (Saturday 4:30 pm FOX)
San Francisco (13-4) is the hottest team in the league right now, winning 10 straight heading into the postseason. Just last month, the Niners beat the Seahawks (9-8) in Seattle to clinch the NFC West title. They also slayed the Seahawks in September in San Francisco. Third stringer Brock Purdy has shined since taking over from the injured Jimmy Garoppolo in week 13, tossing 13 touchdowns and leading the 49ers to a 6-0 record. The 49ers just have too many weapons offensively with Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell, and Brandon Aiyuk surrounding Purdy. In the two regular season games, the Seahawks scored just one touchdown against the league’s top defense. Meanwhile, the Niners rushed for almost 360 yards.
Winner: 49ers

 

#5 Chargers at #4 Jaguars (Saturday 8:15 pm NBC)

This one has the makings of a Saturday night shootout in Jacksonville. The Jaguars (9-8) come into this contest having won five in a row to win the AFC South. In week 3, they routed the Chargers (10-7) in Los Angeles, 38-10 behind Trevor Lawrence’s three touchdown passes. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was nursing sore ribs in that game, but the Jags were the better team that day right from the word go. It’s a tasty matchup of two young gunslingers in Herbert and last year’s number one pick Lawrence. The Chargers, who are 1-4 in games played outdoors this season, will be hoping that both Joey Bosa (groin) and wide receiver Mike Williams (back) are good to go. Williams was listed as questionable on Thursday’s injury report.
Winner: Jaguars

 

#7 Dolphins at #2 Bills (Sunday 1 pm CBS)

This game hinges mightily on who the Dolphins (9-8) will have leading them at quarterback. We got that question answered Wednesday as Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said that Tua Tagovailoa is out due to still being in the concussion protocol, something that caused him to miss the past three games. Third-stringer Skylar Thompson gets the nod with backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater still nursing a dislocated pinky. Thompson couldn’t lead the Dolphins to a touchdown in the Fins’ week 18 playoff clinching 11-6 victory over the Jets. The Bills (13-3), as they showed against the Patriots with their 35-23 victory last Sunday, are riding the emotional tidal wave of Damar Hamlin’s remarkable recovery from suffering cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati in week 17’s Monday night game. Hamlin is back home after being released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday. Buffalo’s a Super Bowl contending team without the incentive, but now with it, the Bills just may be unstoppable. At least this time there will be no snow for Miami to combat, although they did hold a fourth-quarter lead just a few weeks back in Buffalo before losing in the final seconds. Dolphins have lost five of six games while the Bills have won seven straight.
Winner: Bills

 

#6 Giants at #3 Vikings (Sunday 4:30 pm FOX)

Back in week 16, the Vikings (13-4) needed a 61-yard Greg Joseph field goal to fend off a furious Giants’ rally, beating New York 27-24. The Giants (9-7-1) rested most of their starters in week 18 while the Vikings chose to get their offense back on track for a half in Chicago after a dismal week 17 showing against the Packers. The Vikings defense could be its Achilles heel, 31st ranked passing and 20th ranked rushing. But the question remains – can the Giants run-based offense powered by running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones crank it up enough to take advantage? This might be the best chance for a road upset this weekend.
Winner: Vikings

 

#6 Ravens at #3 Bengals (Sunday 8:15 pm NBC)

Take two for the Ravens (10-7) and Bengals (12-4), who faced off to end the regular season last Sunday in Cincinnati with the Bengals beating Baltimore, 27-16. Will Lamar Jackson play for the Ravens? It’s not likely after missing both Wednesday and Thursday’s practice. The quarterback has missed the Ravens' last five games due to a knee injury and he hasn’t practiced in over a month. Backup Tyler Huntley will likely get the nod. Third-stringer Anthony Brown, who played against the Bengals in week 18, is waiting in the wings. Either way, it’s an offense that has struggled to score an average of 16 points a game since the first-quarter injury against Denver on December 4. Simply put, Baltimore doesn’t have the firepower with or without Jackson to stay with the triple J’s - Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase and crew.
Winner: Bengals

 

#5 Cowboys at #4 Buccaneers (Monday 8:15 pm ABC/ESPN)

The NFL may have saved its most tantalizing game for last. It’s America’s team, the Cowboys (12-5), heading to Tampa to face seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Sure, both teams have disappointed of late. Dallas disappointed greatly in its regular season finale, losing at Washington 26-6 while playing most of their starters the majority of the game At least the Bucs, the only team in the playoffs with a losing record (8-9), had a reason for dropping a 30-17 decision in Atlanta. Most of the offensive starters, including Brady, only played sparingly in the first half. Brady has never (7-0) lost to the Cowboys, including beating the ‘Boys in week one in Dallas in a game where Dak Prescott broke his thumb. Prescott has thrown an interception in seven straight games. The Cowboys, who are 1-4 in games played on grass this season, have had an interesting run this season in which, following a loss, they’ve won at least the next two games. If they can do that, they will put a possible end to Brady’s tenure in Tampa as the 45-year-old free agent may head elsewhere for the 2023 season.
Winner: Cowboys