FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The overriding question entering the New England Patriots game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday was not how long Tom Brady would play. (Far too long for some, not enough for others.)

No, instead, the question was really, Why bother to come?

The Patriots had already clinched home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs and many figured this game would be more like the fourth exhibition of the preseason than a regular-season finale. But Gillette Stadium was still filled — OK, there were a lot of fans disguised as empty seats, but it was still pretty full on a dreary day — and the cheers were loud.

So why did they come?

To celebrate, of course.

To celebrate a regular season worth glowing over. To celebrate a team of misfits and castoffs who have done something no one predicted they could — go 14-2 and win the AFC East.

They came to celebrate Brady’s brilliance once more as he threw two touchdown passes (while playing into the third quarter) without an interception. Fans came to be able to say, “I saw Tom Brady set an NFL record.”

They came to celebrate the maturity of the defense, especially young star cornerback Devin McCourty, who intercepted another pass to set up the first touchdown. It was his seventh pick of the year, second-best in team history for a rookie. And they celebrated the intensity of Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork. Both selected to the Pro Bowl, they dominated, with Wilfork getting his first two sacks of the season and Mayo leading with six tackles to finish with a team-high 192.

They came to celebrate the emergence of a running game. BenJarvus Green-Ellis became the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Corey Dillon in 2004, gaining 10 yards on his final carry in the fourth quarter to finish with 1,008.

They came to celebrate the Patriots’ work ethic and competitiveness.

That Brady played into the third quarter surprised some, but it really shouldn’t have. This is how the Patriots operate. They play to win.

Yeah, Wes Welker didn’t play. And perhaps that was because of the memory of last year’s finale, at Houston, when he shredded his left knee, setting the stage for a stunning home playoff loss to Baltimore.

But Wilfork and Mayo, the two irreplaceable parts of the defense, played well into the second half. So did most of the offensive linemen.

And while some people were shocked when Brady came out in the second quarter, only to replace Brian Hoyer five plays later on a third-and-12, it was simply another example of crafty planning by Bill Belichick.

He told Brady early in the week they would do this.

“That could easily happen in a game when a quarterback comes out and the other quarterback has to go in,” he said. “That’s what he did.”

Belichick craftily rotated players in and out, making sure his veterans stayed sharp, while getting some of his younger players valuable playing time.

“They may be playing for us later in the season,” he said. “Who knows? It’s always good experience.”

The veterans wanted to play even more than they did. Mayo was asked if he was surprised at how much he played. He looked surprised. “I only played about half the game,” he said. “I could have played more.”

Belichick wasn’t surprised.

“I think when you’ve got competitor’s on your team, that’s what they do,” said Belichick. “They go out and compete. I think we’ve got a lot of them on our team. I’m proud of that.”

And that includes the younger players, the ones who finally got to strut some stuff on Sunday.

Julian Edelman, the forgotten man on the receiving corps this year, showed why he’s still hanging around. He caught three balls for 72 yards, including a 40-yarder that set up the second touchdown, and returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest punt return in team history.

“When the ball’s in his hands, he is very dangerous,” said Brady, who has now thrown an NFL-record 335 passes without an interception.

And then there was Hoyer, the young backup quarterback, throwing a stunning 42-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Tate, who dived, stretched out and caught the ball in the end zone. It was Hoyer’s first NFL touchdown pass and the crowd responded thusly.

Fans know seasons like this don’t come along often. And that’s why they came on a dreary Sunday.

To enjoy the Patriots one more time.

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com

 

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