Pride and respectability. Those are two essential traits that any rebuilding football team like the Patriots must embody.
And while the same issues that have sent New England into a nosedive - untimely penalties, scared coaching, ball security - cropped up in a 24-21 Week 16 loss in Buffalo, the Patriots were competitive against arguably the best team in the AFC before ultimately succumbing to Josh Allen and the Bills.
With two games remaining at home, starting with Saturday's matchup against Justin Herbert and the Chargers, the Patriots have two more chances to show their fans and the media that they're heading in the right direction. While draft positioning is vital - the Patriots currently hold the No. 2 selection in next spring's draft - losing with dignity outweighs getting blown out.
And Sunday's game gives Drake Maye another chance to showcase what he can do against a proven quarterback in Chargers' signal-caller Justin Herbert. Los Angeles can secure a playoff berth with a win, so this is another chance for New England to play spoiler.
The Chargers can poach the No. 5 seed and a likely Wild Card date with banged-up Houston away from Pittsburgh if they win out.
3 things to watch for in the Patriots Week 17 matchup with the Chargers
1. Rhamondre Stevenson's ball security
The end of the regular season isn't just about draft positioning and playing for pride. These games are job interviews, and Stevenson's ball security issues certainly haven't helped his cause. The fourth-year back has fumbled seven times this year, losing three, and it was his mishandling of a backward pass that led to a Buffalo touchdown last week.
Stevenson did sign a four-year extension last offseason, but he needs to fix his ball security issues if he wants to remain in New England for the duration of that contract.
2. A clean game from Drake Maye
The aforementioned turnover against Buffalo was not Maye's fault, and you could argue that Austin Hooper was tripped up on the interception Maye threw against the Bills last week. It's often difficult to ask for spotless games from rookie quarterbacks, particularly with the lack of talent that Maye has around him.
But turning the ball over against good teams is asking for trouble, and Maye has thrown a pick in each of the Patriots' last seven games. Again, most of those weren't his fault, but a couple of clean games to end the regular season would be a nice springboard into 2025.
3. Who outside Hunter Henry will step up to the plate?
Henry is undoubtedly having one of the best years of his career in terms of catches (66) and yards (674) and has been a nice security blanket for Maye. There's no doubt Henry will want to put on a show against a Chargers team that drafted him. But can somebody—ANYBODY—in this young receiving corps step up?
I'm looking at DeMario Douglas, not just because I inserted him into my fantasy lineup, and I'm in a championship game. Douglas is fast and runs good routes. If he can keep developing, he has the potential to be another Wes Welker or Julian Edelman. The Patriots got him the ball in space a few times against Buffalo, and he had a few nice runs after the catch.
No matter what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, draft position is essential for the Patriots. But pride is on the line, too, and the Patriots need to keep playing with it.