Patriots: Is Bill Belichick not naming a starting QB to screw with the Bills?

Is Patriots head coach Bill Belichick playing mind games with Buffalo ahead of their Week 16 matchup?

At this point, the quarterback controversy surrounding the New England Patriots over the last several weeks has almost become overwhelming. After all, fans have grown accustomed to interminable stability at the position for the last two decades, so adjusting to inconsistency and incompetence in the red zone hasn’t been easy.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, this narrative looks as though it will remain a prominent talking point over the final two games of the season. With them being eliminated from playoff contention, there’s been talk of whether Cam Newton should be benched in the name of giving Jarrett Stidham some valuable first-team reps.

In typical Bill Belichick fashion, however, he has yet to give an answer in terms of who will be under center against the Bills this weekend. If we know anything about the Patriots head coach, it’s that he always has a plan, so we should consider the possibility that he’s playing mind games with Buffalo ahead of the divisional clash.

These tough questions are obviously part of the job, but reporters would honestly be better off abstaining from asking Belichick about the Patriots’ quarterback predicament. As evidenced by his snippy response, he’s clearly fed up with addressing it every time he speaks with the media.

As far as the Bills are concerned, however, not knowing which quarterback they have to prepare for means they have to set a game plan for both Newton and Stidham, and that could potentially have a negative ripple effect on their defense.

While attaining the top seed in the AFC isn’t likely for Buffalo, you better believe they will fight tooth and nail to nab the No. 2 seed, which would guarantee them home field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs — if they advance that far, of course.

We know the Patriots chances of toppling the Bills are slim. They have genuinely looked like one of the most complete teams in the league during their four-game winning streak. Because of that and their aforementioned end-of-season aspirations, you better believe that Belichick is going to make it as strenuous as possible for them to prepare for this matchup.

Patriots: Kyle Van Noy’s latest shots at Pats don’t really make sense

Former New England Patriots LB Kyle Van Noy, who's now on the Dolphins, is being weird after kicking the Pats out of the playoffs.