FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots are ready for the playoffs, as they held a Blue-White scrimmage inside of Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
“[We’re] ready for the playoffs,” Bill Belichick said during his morning news conference. “That’s what you work all year for, to get to this position to be able to compete in the postseason. We are excited about it.”
A practice inside the stadium isn’t the rarest of occurrences, but the team was split up into blue and white jerseys. Typically, the offense (white) and the defense (blue) wear one color to designate between the groupings.
With the players organized into blue and white squads, the Patriots looked to be preparing for a scrimmage-type workout. This means they are placing a heavy focus on situational football.
Since it is a bye week, the Patriots do not have a specific opponent to prepare for as they wait for the results of this weekend’s AFC wild card round of the playoffs. The Patriots are using the time to focus on themselves and their execution.
On Tuesday, running back LeGarrette Blount has stated that nobody can stop the Patriots but themselves.
As for practice, wide receiver Brandon LaFell was not spotted for the second day in a row. LaFell injured his foot/shin late in Sunday’s game against the Bills, but returned to play the game’s final snaps.
Defensive lineman Alan Branch was also missing from practice. It is unclear why Branch was absent.
The Patriots will hold one more practice this week on Thursday before taking Friday and the weekend off.
