New England Patriots links 1/13/22 - Pats-Bills: Offense needs fast lead, Defense needs to keep it

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Bills Wednesday Injury Report.
• Patriots sign defensive back Cre’Von LeBlanc to the practice squad.
• Mike Dussault’s Notebook: Mac readies for playoff debut.
• Mike Dussault reports five Patriots make Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded list.
• Press Conference transcript: Bill Belichick.
• Press Conferences: Devin McCourty - Jakobi Meyers - Mac Jones - Matthew Judon - Trent Brown - Bill Belichick.
• Belestrator: Josh Allen, Devin Singletary and the Buffalo Bills offense. (3.24 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

• Jim Hackett suggests the Patriots surprising lack of discipline this season has to do with massive amount of turnover on the coaching staff that might be catching up to them.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Bill Belichick and Patriots defense need to fuel playoff win — not Mac Jones.
• Kevin Tame Jr. (PatriotMaven) Slow starts have haunted Patriots; Can they fix it ahead of the playoffs?
• Andrew Callahan writes how the Patriots believe in Mac Jones and trust him to play well Saturday in Buffalo.
• Steve Atkinson (NutsandBoltsSports) Big night for Mac Jones Saturday night in the AFC Wild-Card matchup.
• Tom E. Curran assesses Mac Jones’ late-season struggles.
• Khari Thompson notes Josh McDaniels says the Pats won’t dial back the offense vs. the Bills due to weather, so don’t expect a repeat of that three-pass performance in Week 13 from Mac Jones.
• CBS Boston notes is ready for the added pressure that comes with the NFL playoffs. ‘That’s what makes it fun.’
• John Andersen says the gap between Mac Jones and Josh Allen is not as wide as you think.
• Karen Guregian spotlights some Pats-Bills Wild Card battlegrounds: Can the Patriots contain Josh Allen?
• Evan Lazar says the Patriots need their front seven to return to form in the postseason.
• Karen Guregian says it’s time for the Patriots defense to get off the field in the 4th quarter. ‘Bend-but-don’t-break is fine. That’s been a tried and true formula for many Belichick-coached teams. But breaking at the worst possible time won’t cut it, especially now.’
• Dakota Randall lays out how ‘time and time again this season, the Patriots defense needed big stops to either win games or keep comeback hopes alive. And, nearly every time, Bill Belichick’s (expensive) pride and joy [Matthew Judon] couldn’t get it done.’
• Mike Kadlick says the Patriots need more out of Matthew Judon if they want to make a run in the postseason.
• Henry McKenna (PatriotsWire) Steve Belichick: Matt Judon is making big plays ‘whether they show up on the stat sheet or not’
• Zack Cox relays Matthew Judon on what the defense must do vs. the Bills: Keep Josh Allen in the pocket and make him use his arm.
• Michael Hurley mentions Josh Allen’s very real concern about the frigid temps expected for Saturday night: “I think the most important thing for me is, I don’t know why, I got bad circulation in my feet. My toes get really cold and they go numb a little bit.”
• Michael Hurley gives us four reasons for optimism this Saturday night.
• Andrew Callahan explains how the Patriots are preparing for potentially the coldest game in franchise history.
• Steve Hewitt reports CB Jalen Mills is not ruled out yet for Wild Card playoff game at Bills.
• Zack Cox Patriots Practice Notes: Five players absent ahead of Bills playoff game.
• Chris Mason highlights Jakobi Meyers still hungry despite career year: ‘Left a lot of meat on the bone.’
• Zack Cox wonders if newest practice squadder, CB Cre’von LeBlanc could fill a need for the Pats on Saturday.
• Mike Reiss considers whether or not this is Bill Belichick’s best coaching job with the New England Patriots.
• Tom Hanslin highlights WEEI guest CBS analyst Charles Davis: A Bills win over the Patriots would prove a changing of the guard in AFC East
• Zack Cox tells us where Bill Belichick got his ‘’Danger Zone” hoodie from that he wore in his latest presser.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Patrick Djordjevic (ESPN) How embracing ‘the Patriot Way’ turned into a career year for Matthew Judon.
• William E. Ricks (ESPN) Some top moments from the New England Patriots-Buffalo Bills rivalry.
• Albert Breer (SI) Mailbag: Does Brian Flores’s firing mean Deshaun Watson won’t be traded to the Dolphins? Plus, will Rich Bisaccia keep his job, should the Jets draft a wide receiver and which five nonplayoff teams have the most to look forward to next year?
• Nick Shook (NFL.com) 2021 All-Pro Team picks on offense: Why Packers, Chiefs, Colts deserve multiple selections.
• Gregg Rosenthal (NFL.com) NFL QB Index: Ranking all 32 teams’ primary starting quarterbacks at the end of the 2021 regular season. Mac Jones 17th.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) 2022 NFL playoff schedule, bracket: Dates, times, and TV for every round of the AFC and NFC postseason.
• Staff (The Ringer) The NFL Wild-Card-round entrance survey: The players to watch, coaches with the most to prove, and possible upsets in this weekend’s playoff games.
• Cynthia Frelund (NFL.com) Projecting the playoffs: Who will play in Super Bowl LVI? Win the Lombardi Trophy?
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) NFL picks for wild-card round: Bills handle Patriots in AFC East rubber match 30-17.
• John Breech (CBS Sports) 2022 NFL wild-card playoff picks. Bills 24-17.
• Jason Owens (Yahoo! Sports) Jim Irsay laments Colts’ collapse vs. Jaguars as ‘worst way possible’ to end season.