Father Football dropped off a few pigskin presents at Patriot Place to keep the Patriots’ playoff candle burning bright. Thanks to losses by the Raiders and Dolphins, they’re still masters of their playoff destiny.
Win the final two games against the Dolphins — possessors of a tenuous hold on the last AFC playoff spot — and the Bills, and Bill Belichick’s crew is postseason-bound for a second straight year. Cue Joe Castiglione: Can you believe it?
I can’t, but it’s reality for the free-falling footballers of Fort Foxborough, losers of four of five.
As the Patriots prepare for the crucial penultimate regular-season game and ostensibly the final contest at Gillette Stadium this season, here are five football thoughts:
1.