Patriots bye week storylines: Everything to watch in Week 14
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots will not be losing a football game this weekend, as the team is on its much-needed bye week. Heck, we could all use a break from Patriots football at the moment, outside of the promise that comes with Drake Maye playing quarterback.
While the Patriots get a weekend of rest, there are a lot of storylines for New England fans to watch during the NFL's Week 14 slate. For starters, they can see some good football, which has escaped Patriots fans so far this season.
But there are also a few storylines that are worth monitoring from a New England standpoint. Plus, the Celtics and the Bruins are both off Sunday, and there are only so many Juan Soto rumors one can take before they go completely mad.
Here's what Patriots fans should be watching for during this Patriots-less weekend in the NFL.
Keeping an eye on the NFL Draft order
We get it. It's no fun losing, and it's really no fun to root for losing. It flat out stinks and makes everyone feel like ... well .... losers.
But that is the position Patriots fans are in right now. Again. Winning will help build the team's character and is imperative to establishing a culture again, but the more losses the better the draft pick in April. It's why Tankathon has been such a popular website in New England the last few seasons.
The good news is that no one has to root for the Patriots to lose this weekend. Instead, New England fans will be rooting for the Jaguars, Raiders, and Giants to all win.
Those are the trio of two-win teams in the NFL that currently make up the top of the NFL Draft order, respectively, above the Patriots. The Jaguars and their backup quarterback will be in Tennessee to face the Titans (even more one this incredible matchup in a minute), the Raiders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Giants host the 4-8 Saints. All three of those games are in the 1pm window on Sunday, because that's usually the timeslot that bad games occupy.
Patriots fans are used to watching bad football this season, so if they need to fill the void Sunday afternoon, those three games will fit the bill.
As for the three-win teams behind the Pats in the draft order, the Panthers are likely going to get trounced by the Eagles in Philadelphia, the New York Jets are in Miami to face the Dolphins, the Browns are in Pittsburgh to play the 9-3 Steelers, and the aforementioned Titans get to host the Jaguars.
We'll see if the Patriots still sit in the No. 4 spot in the draft order come Sunday evening.
Scouting the Patriots' upcoming opponents
The Patriots will have four games left after returning from the bye, and are probably looking at four losses. They've got road games against the Cardinals and the Bills, before returning home to host the Chargers and the Bills to close the season.
On Sunday, the Cardinals will host the Seahawks, whom the Patriots lost to in overtime at Gillette Stadium back in Week 2. Arizona has lost two straight, but they're just a game back of Seattle in the NFC West.
Jim Harbaugh's Chargers have a Sunday night showdown with the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, which should be one of the best games of the weekend. Los Angeles played the Chiefs tough in Week 3, but lost 17-10 at SoFi Stadium. They've evolved into a much better team since that matchup, winning six of their last eight games.
The Patriots will play the Buffalo Bills twice over the final four weeks. That's bad news, because Josh Allen is playing at an unreal level right now and will probably have his way with the New England defense. This weekend, he and his Bills will take on the Rams out in Los Angeles in the Sunday afternoon window.
A Ladd the Patriots could have had
If Patriots fans want to torture themselves a bit this Sunday, keep an eye on Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey. New England could have drafted him at 34th overall.
Instead, Eliot Wolf and company sent that pick to Los Angeles, and took Ja'Lynn Polk a few picks later with the 37th selection. Pain.
Polk has been a massive bust in New England with just 12 receptions for 87 yards all season. McConkey had nine receptions for 117 yards last week against the Falcons. He's up to 58 receptions for 815 yards and four touchdowns.
Check him out this weekend, and then be prepared to see him catch a ton of passes against the Pats in Week 17.
Rooting for Mac Jones
Mac Jones doesn't have many fans left in New England. But Pats fans will be rooting for Jones and the Jags this weekend as he gets the start for an injured Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
Patriots fans know that rooting for Jones to win a game is usually a losing battle. But a Jags loss on Sunday would drop them to 2-11 and give them the inside track for the No. 1 overall pick. A Jacksonville win would make them 3-10 and throw them into a whole mess of other bad teams.
That 3-10 record would match New England's, but the Jaguars own the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 7 win over the Patriots in London. So there is quite a lot riding on that Jags-Titans 1pm matchup for the New England Patriots, and it all rests on the shoulders of Mac Jones.
Just because the Patriots are on their bye week doesn't mean the WBZ-TV sports team gets a Sunday off. Tune in to a special Patriots GameDay on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ and streaming online at CBSBoston.com!
