New England will close out its season against the Jets on Sunday.
The New England Patriots will close the book on their underwhelming 2023 campaign on Sunday, hosting the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. At 4-12, they have little to gain other than keeping an active 15-game winning streak over their division rivals alive.
Given that they are competing for a top-3 selection in the upcoming draft, however, the Patriots stand a lot to lose by — ironically — winning their season finale. Nonetheless, them taking their foot off the gas will not happen. Neither their head coach is wired that way, nor are his players.
“Honestly, I think we should go out there, finish strong. Goal is to get a win,” said defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. this week. “This is our last time putting something on tape, so you want to leave a great impression for everybody to see.”
Fellow team captain David Andrews, who declined to make any predictions about his own playing future, echoed Wise Jr.’s remarks about finishing the season in style.
“Obviously got the chance to finish at home, and the last opportunity this football team has,” the Patriots’ starting center said.
“For the guys that are going to be here next year, to build on that — I think that’s a big thing. And for the guys that are going to do something else or get opportunities to play somewhere else, with contract stuff, obviously you want to put good tape out there and finish on a win. That’s everyone’s goal this week, and especially getting to do it in front of our home fans for the last one of the year. It’s a great opportunity.”
Collectively, the Patriots have not played a lot of successful football this season and one game will likely not make or break how individual players are viewed both internally and externally. That said, every piece of tape matters — both from a performance and an effort perspective.
In total, 25 members of the current roster are headed for free agency. While some of them will not appear on Sunday due to injuries, others will in an effort to build some momentum heading into the offseason.
Among them is linebacker Mack Wilson.
“It’s definitely important [to finish strong],” the pending free agent said. “Obviously, you want to go into the offseason with a great taste in your mouth, with a victory. And that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Leaving a positive impression also is on the mind of the Patriots’ starting quarterback, Bailey Zappe. While the sophomore remains under contract for 2024, the expectation is that the team will seriously pursue an upgrade at the most important position on the field.
Neither Zappe nor his predecessor, Mac Jones, appear to have done enough to be locked into the starting position for the upcoming season. For the 24-year-old, who started the last four games, the goal is therefore to present himself as a player still on the rise.
“It’s always important to win,” Zappe said on Thursday. “As a quarterback, that’s what you’re based off of, that’s what you’re judged off of. So, for me personally, of course, the main goal is to go out there and win. But as a personal thing, correcting some of the mistakes that I’ve made over the last few weeks and tying it all together as the last game to kind of show, like, ‘Hey, this guy, he’s understanding it, his experience goes by, he’s getting it.’
“So, that’s something that throughout the practices the next two days and then going to the game that I want to show. And then, of course, win. I mean, everybody loves winning. Everybody’s happy when we win.”
Given how a victory might impact their draft position, that sentiment is not a universal one among the team’s fans. Inside One Patriot Place, however, the goals are clear — and simple: finish strong, and win.