FOXBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — There’s been a lot of chatter lately about Tom Brady’s future and whether Saturday’s showdown with the Titans could potentially be his last game in a Patriots uniform — but you wouldn’t know it by a having a chat with head coach Bill Belichick.
“We’re focused on the Titans. That’s all I’m focused on,” Belichick said Thursday in response to a question about his longtime quarterback.
Belichick addressed members of the media as his players and fellow coaches continued to develop their gameplan for Tennessee.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge,” he added. “We’ve got a couple more days here to wrap things up.”
The Patriots practiced for the final time this week on Thursday inside Gillette Stadium, where the team has won nine consecutive playoff games. Everyone was accounted for during the session.
The Patriots are five-point favorites against the Titans, led by former Patriot and Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel. The two teams didn’t meet in the regular season but got a sneak peek at each other in Week 2 of the preseason.
In their last real meeting in Nov. 2018, the Titans walked away with a 34-10 win over the Patriots.
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When asked about last week’s loss to Miami, which caused New England to fall to the AFC’s 3-seed and lose the first-round bye, Belichick’s focus didn’t waver: “We are past last week. It’s a one-week season.”
“We’re obviously closing in on the biggest game of the year,” Belichick said. “[Tennessee] is a really good football team.”
Brady took the podium Thursday afternoon and there was not a single question regarding the Titans.
“I’m pretty focused on what I need to do and this week has felt like every other week for the past 20 years,” Brady said.
This is the first time in 20 years that Brady does not have a contract entering his final year.