Generally players don't get healthier as the grind of the NFL season wears on.
That's why success in the league is often referred to as a battle of attrition.
But the Patriots health woes took a turn for the better this week with Tom Brady and Julian Edelman being removed from the injury report.
Health is just one of the many storylines to keep an eye on heading toward Monday night's battle with Baltimore.
The Boston Globe says the relationship between Bill Belichick and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is “tricky.” The Globe notes that tight end Martellus Bennett has been slowed but not stopped by injuries this season. Despite a turbulent history with Baltimore, the Globe has Brady refusing to admit the game has any extra meaning this week. The Chiefs win over the Raiders pushed the Patriots back into the No. 1 seed in the playoff picture for the time being.
The Boston Herald talks to Edelman about dealing with his foot injury over the last year and how that affected his play earlier this season. The Herald notes Brady using his usual kill-them-with-kindness routine on Ravens pass rusher Terrell Suggs. The Herald Patriots notebook has Bennett vowing to rebound from his “worst game as a Patriot.” The Herald mailbag dives into Malcolm Mitchell’s rookie production.
The Providence Journal advises that despite injuries the Patriots offense must adjust against the Ravens No. 1 defense. The ProJo says that the Patriots focus becomes razor sharp in December. The ProJo notes that Brady and Edelman were removed from the New England injury report this week.
Now an ESPN analyst, Randy Moss says a lot rides on the New England offensive line in terms of the Patriots success. ESPNBoston.com has the Patriots signing infamous former Colts receiver Griff Whalen to help with the team's current lack of depth at the position. ESPNBoston.com quotes Bennett saying he doesn’t think about taking a break becaseu he’s “like the Energizer Bunny.” ESPN picked the top NFL players at every age, with two New England offensive leaders getting the nod at 30 and 39.
WEEI.com says that Harbaugh is still “irked” by New England's manipulation of ineligible/eligible receivers in the playoffs against his Ravens a couple years ago. WEEI.com lists the five men standing between Brady and a fifth Super Bowl ring.
CSNNE.com has Harbaugh explaining the difference between his team’s recent intentional safety trickery and what he disliked about what the Patriots did to his team in the playoffs after the 2014 season. CSNNE.com looks at the one-sided feud between Suggs and Brady.
NFL.com predicts a one-score win for the Patriots over the Ravens on Monday night.
The Indy Star notes the former Colt Whalen signing with the Patriots.
The* Baltimore Sun* writes that the Ravens defense is still very much wary of the Patriots offense even without Rob Gronkowski. Interestingly, every writer on the *Sun’s* panel picks the Patriots to beat the Ravens on Monday night.
