New England Patriots links 1/04/23 - Cleanup on Week 17; Moving on to Buffalo

TEAM TALK

• Game Preview: Patriots at Bills. Series history, scouting the matchups, tale of the tape.
• Paul Perillo tackles this week’s Patriots Mailbag: Should the Pats make a playoff push?
• Paul Perillo’s NFL Notes: Signs of hope for the future.
• Patriots Unfiltered 1/3: Dolphins takeaways, updates on Bills safety Damar Hamlin. (2 hours)

LOCAL LINKS

• John Sarianides (NEFootballJournal) Patriots face ultimate do it yourself scenario against the Bills.
• Soor Vora (StadiumRant) Patriots playoff scenarios: A not-so-quick explanation of Week 18.
• Joy Manning (BostonSportsChick) Comparison: Which side of the ball is scoring touchdowns for the Patriots?
• Nick O’Malley passes along a report that the Patriots hosted five CFL players for workouts, including DB and QB who are twins.
• Clare Cooper (PatsPropaganda) Patriots bring a win home against the Fins to start 2023.
• John Sarianides (NEFootballJournal) Seven points on the Patriots 23-21 win over the Dolphins. 1. Team win: The offense got off to a slow start once again but Mac Jones and company did their part in the second half to aid the defense which once again put the team in a position to win the game.
• Conor Roche (ClutchPoints) 4 biggest heroes in Patriots’ Week 17 win over Dolphins.
• Kevin Stone (NEFootballJournal) Defense & just enough offense help Pats keep playoff hopes alive.
• Conor Roche (ClutchPoints) Rookie Tyquan Thornton has made believers out of Bill Belichick, Mac Jones.
• Morgan Bridge (ChowderandChampions) Patriots defense has stepped up with scoring when offense has failed.
• Soor Vora (StadiumRant) Comparing the Patriots’ 2022 and 2021 teams. Part 1: Improvements, Part 2: The dropoffs.
• Varun (StadiumRant) These players give the Patriots a bright future going forward.
• Alan Nahigian (ChowderandChampions) Why retaining Jakobi Meyers is a must in free agency.
• Varun (StadiumRant) Will the Patriots acquiring superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins help fix their offense?
• Phil Perry highlights Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater with some extra reflection after the team’s final home game. Neither player has made a decision about their NFL futures, but both know they’re not far from the end.
• Max Molski relays the NFL’s update on the Bills-Bengals game, Week 18 schedule.
• Tyler Milliken posts the Q&A of Mike Reiss talking with Zolak & Bertrand about how he wouldn’t be shocked if Patriots-Bills isn’t played on Sunday.
• Khari Thompson relays Tom E. Curran, who suggested Bill Belichick could have a strong voice on the league’s plans after the Damar Hamlin injury Monday night.
• Dakota Randall mentions how Patriots players are among top donors to Damar Hamlin’s charity.
• Matt Vautour reports the Patriots show support for Damar Hamlin with Gillette Stadium videoboard message.
• One Patriots Place podcast: Clare and Murph are joined by Evan Lazar to talk all things Patriots. (67 min.)

NATIONAL NEWS

• Judy Battista and Mike Giardi (NFL.com) Playoff-clinching scenarios for the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins in Week 18. (4 min. video)
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Taking a look at the options for proceeding with the 2022 regular season.
• Josh Alper (ProFootballTalk) NFL teams cancel media availabilities Tuesday.
• Zoltan Buday (PFF) Top non-QB MVP candidates: Justin Jefferson, Nick Bosa and more.
• Michael Renner (PFF) Ranking the top 2023 NFL Draft prospects at every position.

EXTRACURRICULAR

• Mike Kadlick reports how the tragic injury to Bills Damar Hamlin leaves Patriots, NFL world in limbo.
• Shalise Manza Young (Yahoo! Sports) Damar Hamlin tragedy strips away typical NFL facade, revealing human side of the sport that’s shamefully lacking.
• Joe Rivera (Sporting News) NFL denies Joe Buck’s reports on ‘five-minute warmup’ to resume Bills vs. Bengals game after Damar Hamlin’s collapse.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) ESPN says it was in “constant communication” with league and game officials.
• Cody Benjamin (CBS Sports) NFL cardiologist offers insight into what may have happened to Bills safety, what’s next.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Damar Hamlin toy drive fund exceeds $5.5 million.
• Andrea Estes reports the ex-fiancée of Aaron Hernandez is accused of misspending money meant for couple’s young daughter, on gym fees, online shopping and bounced checks. /Slow NFL news day.