The Patriots are one of the worst teams in football, but their final two games of the season won’t be meaningless.
New England on Saturday will host the 9-6 Los Angeles Chargers, who still are fighting to secure a playoff spot heading into Week 17. And if the Bills stumble this weekend, Buffalo might need to win at Gillette Stadium in Week 18 to clinch the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
So, the Patriots are poised to have opportunities to make life difficult for a pair of teams primed to compete for the Lombardi Trophy. Speaking with the media Thursday, head coach Jerod Mayo was asked if he’d spoken with players about “embracing the role of spoiler.”
“Yeah, we’ve had those conversations,” Mayo told reporters, per a team-provided video. “I would also say it just goes back to whoever’s playing the best that day is going to win the football game. What you did last week or the week before really doesn’t matter. That’s the beauty about this game.”
Of course, the Patriots’ final two games of the 2024 campaign will feature more than playoff implications. The results of those contests also will have a significant impact on when New England makes its first pick in the 2025 draft.
So yeah, the Foxboro Faithful has a variety of reasons to stay plugged in until Mayo’s side is done playing.
