Patriots treating regular season finale against the Jets like a playoff game

In Week 17, the New England Patriots aren’t taking the New York Jets lightly as they make preparations for another deep postseason run.

It may seem like it’s been a while since the Patriots had a meaningful game in the final week of the regular season. Oftentimes, the team has already cemented its playoff position, and will rest star players like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and others in order to keep them as fresh as possible for the postseason.

Not this year.

The Patriots will likely finish as either the No. 2 or the No. 3 seed on the AFC side of the NFL playoff bracket, but they could finish as high as No. 1 or as low as No. 4. It all depends on the outcome of a number of games taking place on Sunday – and none more important than New England’s own against New York obviously.

Coach Belichick, per usual, isn’t looking ahead.

“Right now I think it’s a one-game season here,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday. “So, we’ll just concentrate on the Jets and worry about next year, next year, worry about next week, next week, worry about last year some other year.”

Though Brady took the bait in an interview on Monday and re-affirmed his desire to play next season and beyond, he also steered the conversation back to Sunday’s finale against the Jets. He told WEEI’s Jim Gray that the Patriots would “see if we can get a really good win against a tough team, a tough division team, and try and make sure we can get ourselves a first-round bye if we get a win. We’re essentially in the playoffs now, and we have to treat it like that.”

Even offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia weighed in on the importance of Sunday’s game against the Jets. “The importance level is off the roof now, especially this week. You gotta win.”

If the Patriots can walk the walk as well as they can talk the talk, the Jets might be in for a long day in Gillette on Sunday.