Should New England Patriots Rest Key Starters in Week 17?

The New England Patriots received an early Christmas gift from the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, as the Denver Broncos' loss secured the No. 1 seed for the Patriots. That gives New England home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs.

While Peyton Manning's face resembled that of an eight-year-old child who received coal in his stocking, visions of Rob Gronkowski covered in bubble wrap danced through the heads of countless inhabitants in the northeast. Whether Gronkowski—and other key Patriots—plays against the Buffalo Bills in what amounts to a meaningless game remains to be seen.

Take Their Helmet Early

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady are the two Patriots who are impossible to replace. While Jimmy Garoppolo may be the future, Brady is the present. A catastrophic injury—think Wes Welker against the Houston Texans in 2009—to either one of them would leave their Super Bowl hopes in shambles.

Though it is understandable that Brady and company don't want to shut down for two weeks—including the first-round playoff bye—a slightly rusty player is better than an injured one.

You can expect Brady and Gronkowski to be on the field during the second half—treating the week like the third preseason game is my expectation—and you can expect the collective blood pressure of the greater Boston area to rise on each successive play.

While they might not be as integral as Gronkowski and Brady, the absences of Dan Connolly and Julian Edelman against the New York Jets really left the offense flagging. If they are still nicked up, not dressing them at all might be the winning ticket.

Darrelle Revis—plus anyone with lingering injuries— is the only player on defense who should perhaps get an extra week off.

Monitor and Adjust

The entire defense should be monitored throughout Week 17. As well as they are playing, you don't want to break up the run. However, a loss of any starter—Jamie Collins, Devin McCourty, Vince Wilfork—could prove to be disastrous.

If Chandler Jones, Kyle Arrington and Dont'a Hightower are held out due to their respective hip, hamstring and shoulder issues, some reserves should see some additional playing time. Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan, Tavon Wilson, Chris Jones and Jonathan Casillas could all be the beneficiaries.

Secondary options in the offense like Jonas Gray, Tim Wright and Danny Amendola might also be pulled if the game allows. Remember, there are only 46 guys on the roster. Somebody has to play.

All Systems Go

These are the kind of games that the bottom of the roster lives for. Garoppolo has a chance to gain experience in a regular game. Whether he is competing for a job next year or never, the lessons he can learn will serve him well.

The offensive line—other than Connolly—can also use this time to get their communication figured out. If one of the five goes down with an injury during the playoffs, the Patriots coaching staff needs to have contingency plans in place.

On special teams, Ryan Allen, Danny Aiken and Stephen Gostkowski will hold down their duties like normal. You won't see Rob Ninkovich long-snapping in this game.