Biggest Takeaways from New England Patriots' Week 15 Win

The bye is in the bag.

With the New England Patriots' 33-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, New England has earned a week of rest between the regular season and the postseason, marking the sixth consecutive time it has done so.

This year, however, that bye week is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity with each injury the Patriots suffer—and they've suffered a lot, from Nate Solder to Dion Lewis to Julian Edelman to Dont'a Hightower to Danny Amendola to LeGarrette Blount and right on down the list.

There are still two pivotal games left on the schedule against division opponents who would love nothing more than to spoil the Patriots' attempt at getting the No. 1 seed, so Bill Belichick's team cannot afford to wallow in misery over the injuries. The Pats must move on.

So let's get to the takeaways, so we can do the same.

James White Continues to Come on Strong

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Perhaps no one should be all that surprised with what James White has done do this year in relief duty of Dion Lewis. After all, the Patriots probably aren't surprised.

That's why they drafted White in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and kept him around all last year despite little to no production. It's why he stuck around on the roster once again this season despite the emergence of Lewis ahead of him on the depth chart.

But another week brings another big performance for White, who hauled in seven out of eight passes thrown his way for 71 yards and a touchdown. He should have had eight receptions for 141 yards, but a 70-yard reception was wiped away on a questionable pass-interference penalty against wide receiver Keshawn Martin.

The Patriots will always have plenty of snaps to go around in that third-down role, but with running back Steven Jackson added to the mix, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the Patriots should not forget about White's contributions over the course of the season.

Patriots Secure First-Round Bye, Home-Field Advantage Next

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Thanks to their win over the Titans, coupled with the Denver Broncos loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Patriots have guaranteed themselves a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.

This is the sixth consecutive season for the Patriots holding one of the two first-round byes, which is an NFL record, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. It's just another eye-popping, parity-defying statistic in a long line of them for the Patriots under Bill Belichick.

But with the rap sheet of injuries the Patriots are nursing, the bye week is more of a necessity than a luxury, arguably now more than ever. The Patriots have an extra week to get healthy before the elimination round begins.

With a win over the New York Jets or a Cincinnati Bengals loss in Week 16, the Patriots would lock up the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season and the seventh time under Belichick.

Dont'a Hightower, Danny Amendola, Patrick Chung All Injured

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If I had to sum up the Patriots' 2015 season in three words, I would do so this way: injury after injury.

Just when it looked like the Patriots were finally getting healthier, the injury bug reared its ugly head again. This week, wide receiver Danny Amendola and linebacker Dont'a Hightower both reaggravated their injuries, and the team also lost safety Patrick Chung and defensive tackle Alan Branch. 

The injury bug can be the carrier of a deadly virus, but so far, the Patriots have fought against the ill effects of whatever venom has seeped into their blood. They just need to continue to fight against the sickness for two more weeks until the playoffs. Hopefully, by then, for their sake, some of the injuries will be healed.

Rob Gronkowski Hitting Stride as Postseason Approaches

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Rob Gronkowski has played well all season, but he seems to be hitting stride at just the right time for the Patriots.

On Sunday, the massive tight end caught five passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Gronkowski dedicated the performance to his late friend, trainer Dana Parenteau, and he delivered with yet another strong performance. Over the past three weeks, the two-time All-Pro has caught 15 of the 24 passes thrown his way (62.5 percent) for 229 yards, and he has three touchdowns—one in each of the three games.

If Gronkowski continues to play this way for the rest of the season, the Patriots are going to be hard to stop in the playoffs.

Patriots Front Seven Teeing off on Quarterbacks

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The DJ at Gillette Stadium plays "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus anytime the defense logs a sack. That song should be the 2015 theme for the Patriots front seven.

On Sunday against the Titans, Chandler Jones tacked on two more sacks to bring his season total to 12.5, a new career high with two games to go. Jones has always been a serviceable pass-rusher, but in 2015, he has taken his game to a new level in that area. That being said, he's gotten some help from new recruit Jabaal Sheard, who has tallied seven sacks of his own and is ranked as the top pass-rushing 4-3 defensive end in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. 

As a team, the Patriots totaled five sacks Sunday, marking the fourth time this team has done so. That's tied for the seventh-most such games in team history. One more five-sack game would put the 2015 Patriots in a six-way tie for second-most such games in team history. 

In total, the Patriots have 47 sacks on the season, tied for eighth-most in team history with two games to go. They could easily become one of just six teams in Patriots history to notch 50 sacks or more in a season and the first in Bill Belichick's tenure as head coach.