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Heading into Sunday’s Super Bowl in Santa Clara, the Patriots seem to be in reasonably good health ahead of their match-up against the Seahawks.
However, two players remain a question mark, and both are certainly important for a team looking to finish off this storybook season.
Both linebackers Robert Spillane and Harold Landry are officially listed as “Questionable” for the game, with Spillane (ankle) and Landry (knee) both making it clear this week that they felt confident they’d play Sunday night.
Landry might actually be the healthier of the two at this point after the team has done a good job in trying to navigate him through his knee injury, putting him out there for just 11 snaps against the Texans while allowing him to sit out the AFC Championship game.
But part of the reason they were able to do that was that Spillane had finally made his way back after a late-season injury knocked him off the field for the latter part of their run. That’s why when Spillane went down in Denver, the sight of him slamming his helmet down after the play definitely wasn’t a good sign.
He’s seemed relatively upbeat this week, but how he’s able to function Sunday night is going to be the key. Part of what makes Spillane so good is his quickness and his athleticism, both of which will be impaired if his ankle is still bothering him.
The one positive is that Robert Gibbens really came along the more he was forced to fill Spillane’s shoes, which was again the case during the latter part of the AFC Championship game.
Still, against the Seahawks, the Patriots will need all hands on deck. Against a tough Seahawks offense, the hope is that both Spillane and Landry will be healthy enough to not only take the field, but hopefully help New England’s defense make enough plays for the Patriots to walk away as Champions for the seventh time in franchise history.
One match-up that is going to be interesting to watch is how New England’s secondary handles explosive Seahawks wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
His numbers in 2025 were just obscene. The speedy receiver finished off the regular season with a mind-blowing 1,793 yards on 119 catches, good for an average of 15.1 yards per reception.
He could be a player who we see matched up against Christian Gonzalez, which should be interesting to watch. Gonzalez has played pretty well over the course of the postseason, but has given up a couple of plays over that span that he’ll definitely need to avoid this weekend.
Carlton Davis, who led the team in penalties this season, is going to be another one to keep an eye on. The Seahawks have not only Smith-Njigba, but also Cooper Kupp, Kenneth Walker, and Rashid Shaheed for guys who will likely be a difficult challenge Sunday.
Shaheed is definitely a downfield threat, having hauled in a 51-yard pass on Seattle’s opening drive in the AFC Championship against the Rams that led to a touchdown by Walker to put them out in front 7-0.
Should Davis give up a big play, the one thing he’s been good at is having a short memory, and games like this were exactly why the club signed him this offseason.
“Yeah, hopefully we can just play ‘cat’ coverage. ‘You got that cat, I got this cat,’ and we can go to work,” said Mike Vrabel back in March when asked about Davis’ skillset. “Just an aggressive… I would say the thing I appreciate about watching C.D. is that they may catch a ball on him, and he just lines back up, and he competes, and he challenges, and he tries to play aggressive, and there’s a play style that we embrace.”
“Corners, it’s a tough position in the National Football League. Right? So, they’re going to have passes that are caught on them, it’s can they line back up the next snap and challenge and compete and get their hand on the next football? That would be, I would say, outside his physical skillset is the mental makeup.”
This one will likely see an increased workload for Marcus Jones, who has seen a dip in playing time as of late, with New England having shifted to a more linebacker-centric defense this postseason. The speedy defender has been terrific this season, with Jones joining three other players, including Davis, Gonzalez, and rookie safety Craig Woodson, with the team lead in passes defensed this postseason with 4.
Sunday will certainly be pivotal for Gonzalez. The former first-round pick will potentially be looking for a contract extension this offseason, and how he plays on the biggest stage will likely have a significant impact on that.
It was interesting to go back and look at Vrabel’s comments in March when it came to free agents they signed, especially considering where they are now. At the time, Vrabel recalled a story about Spillane, which, after watching him this season, certainly foreshadowed just how valuable he’s been out there. “We went out to practice, and he didn’t make any mental errors,” said Vrabel about when Spillane first played for him in Tennessee. “He was athletic. He was excellent in this open field tackling drill. Did the same thing the next day, did the same thing on Sunday. It got to be a joke where we would just keep throwing him in a minute and be like, ‘Hey, let’s see if somebody can make Spillane miss.’ Then John Robinson and I were just like, ‘We have to have him on the football team, and I think he’s earned the right to be here based on those three days.’ Robert may or may not share this story, but we told him, and it was on Mother’s Day, and he got to call his mom, and it was pretty special, especially for me, being a young football coach or a young head coach, to be able to see a player that had earned the right. We didn’t hand him anything. That’s what we want for every single player on our team. We want them to earn everything that they get. That was an example of what he earned in his opportunity in the National Football League. So, that’s no surprise of the career that he’s had based on how it started.” … Vrabel talked this week about a dinner meeting he and the team had with Will Campbell before he was drafted, which set the stage for the club to ultimately select him last April. He also praised Campbell’s growth this season, with the former LSU standout coming a long way since being selected. “Well, I think Will is a great teammate. I think that, again, each and every day, he’s grown, he’s improved as a person, as a player, and as a teammate,” said Vrabel. “He’s comfortable in his own skin. He’s around a lot. The meal was excellent. A lot of those local establishments take care of the boys down there in Baton Rouge. It was a big spread, a great meal. I hope to go back there and hang out, and we had a good time. Again, I’ve said this before. Will wanted to make it known that he wanted to be here by that visit. Not when he visited our place, but when we visited there, it was clear that this was the place that he wanted to be.” … Drake Maye was asked about what the difference has been between last year and this year, and in his mind, it’s been the ability to win and Vrabel’s approach that changed everything. “I think one of the biggest thing is, I think winning helps,” said Maye. “Winning helps, and I think just buying into the same belief in each other and what Coach Vrabel is trying to get accomplished. I think from day one, I feel like the guys have really taken what Coach Vrabel wanted to do with us and have just really applied it to their lives in every single way, whether it’s on the field, off the field, getting treatment, doing little things, making great decisions off the field. I think that’s the biggest thing, just Coach Vrabel always says he treats us how we treat the team. I think that’s how guys have taken this year. I think it’s just really rallied together and want to play for each other. From there on, we just have had fun doing it every single day since. It’s been a ride, and looking forward to trying to finish it off.” … Rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was a full participant Friday but joined Landry and Spillane with a “Questionable” designation. He remains on injured reserve, with his status for Sunday still in question. … Maye was among the remaining players on the injury report, with the QB listed with a “right shoulder” designation. He joined Morgan Moses (Not injury-related/rest) and Thayer Munford (knee), who were listed but without a Game Status designation. All three were listed as “Full” participants on Friday.
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