Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Start or sit?
That's the million dollar question.
Should New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick start or sit his starters in the final regular season game?
I say start, but then sit.
Yes, this game does have some meaning. I said some, but it's not a desperate do-or-die situation, either.
If the Pats beat the Houston Texans on the road, they clinch the No. 3 seed in playoffs. If they lose and the Bengals beat the Jets, then the Bengals gets the No. 3 seed and the Pats get No. 4.
So either way, with the No. 3 or 4 seed, the Pats and Bengals will play at home in the wild-card round next week.
It's always nice to win, so playing the starters is fine with me. I'm more concerned with the timing of the offense, especially after last week's blowout win vs. the Jags. It sure feels to me like the Pats are hitting their stride offensively, so it would be a shame to sit them and risk the chance of them coming out flat next week in the playoffs because they didn't see any game action and are stale.
So in a perfect world, I'd like to see the starters play at least the half and continue to build on a great offensive performance last week. But the key is all staying healthy, so it's fine with me to pull them at the half, too, so we don't see one of our go-to players (Brady, Moss, Welker) go down with an injury and risk missing the playoff game.
As for the Houston-New England game, the Texans are still alive for the playoffs, although it's a long shot considering they need to win and need a lot of help with teams popping the Ravens, Jets and Broncos.
But they have a chance and they're going to play this like it's the Super Bowl.
The Texans are impressive to me on offense, with Matt Schaub airing it out on just about every snap. He's got almost 4,500 yards with 27 TDs and 14 INTs. He's got a live arm and one of the best wideouts in Andre Johnson (95 receptions, 1,504 yards, 9 TDs) to throw to.
Johnson and Schaub make this offense go. Make no mistake, the Texans can't run and they even know it. So they use the short 3-yard pass just like a running play, but they know the talent they have revolves around the passing game.
This game is a great postseason tune-up game for the Pats, having to face a talented QB and one of the best WRs in all of football.
The Pats can also throw it, too. The Texans have had issues defending the pass all season long, so expect Brady to get some good work in against a questionable secondary.
I'm expecting to see an air show with Schaub and Brady going toe-to-toe, unless Brady and Co. sits at any point to rest a tad for next week.
Chad's Take: Even if the Pats play everyone for the entire game, I think this is a very close game with both offenses stealing the show. But I just would find it hard to believe that Belichick would play his starters for four quarters, knowing they don't have the luxury of a bye next week to rest and have to play in the wild-card round.
I think this game will be extremely entertaining for a half, but it'll go downhill for Patriots fans in the second half with the starters taking a two-quarter breather on the sidelines. The Texans will do their job by getting a win and finishing 9-7, but there's no way two of the three teams they need to lose -- Ravens, Jets and Broncos -- all lose.
The Pats will play next week and the Texans will be watching that game on television.
Prediction: Texans, 27-17
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