THE STORY: With the conference playoff picture settled - except for the AFC South champion - and the New England Patriots having already locked up the No. 1 seed, perhaps Bill Belichick will take the weekend off. Then again, that’s not exactly his style. Last season he decided to go all out in a meaningless Week 17 contest against Houston and ended up losing Wes Welker to a knee injury. That memory could force Belichick to change his plans this time around and rest any players battling through even nagging injuries. The Miami Dolphins will spend Sunday trying to prove they - including the coaching staff - still belong with the organization.
TV: 1 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: New England -3, O/U 43.5
WEATHER: Showers, 42 degrees.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (13-2): New England has only nine turnovers on the season - none during its current seven-game winning streak - and is on track to break the NFL record low of 13 in a season set by the 2008 Dolphins and New York Giants. Even if Brian Hoyer plays most of the game in place of Tom Brady, the Patriots still look to be in good shape to break that record.
ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (7-8): Miami somehow finished the season 1-7 at home after a meltdown last week against the lowly Detroit Lions. A road record of 6-1 does not make up for losing to teams like Buffalo and Cleveland at home, and everyone in the organization is under review. Quarterback Chad Henne leads an offense that ranks 30th in the NFL in scoring at 17.7 points per game and has been replaced at times this season by the equally unimpressive Tyler Thigpen.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: New England running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis needs 72 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. He went for 104 last week. Linebacker Jerod Mayo leads the NFL with 168 tackles and was named to the Pro Bowl along with Brady, guard Logan Mankins, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather. The Dolphins had two players selected to the Pro Bowl - left tackle Jake Long and linebacker Cameron Wake.
QUARTERBACKS: Brady was voted the AFC Pro Bowl starter at his position and is the front-runner for NFL MVP at this point. His current touchdown-to-interception ratio of 34 to 4 is one of the best of all time and he set the NFL record last weekend for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception at 319 and counting. Henne is on the other end of the quarterback spectrum with a 66.9 passer rating over the last four games and 18 interceptions this season.
RECENT HISTORY: The Patriots dominated the Dolphins 41-14 in Week 4. New England scored on a kickoff return, a blocked field goal and an interception in the second half and also blocked a punt as the special teams and defense went to work. Henne threw three interceptions before being replaced in the fourth quarter by Thigpen, who threw another pick. Miami has not won in New England since 2006, when the Patriots pulled their starters early in another Week 17 meeting.
KEY INJURIES: MIAMI: CB Nolan Carroll (head); Karlos Dansby (toe); TE Anthony Fasano (knee); OT Lydon Murtha (head). NEW ENGLAND: TE Aaron Hernandez (hip); OL Dan Connolly (concussion); LB Tully Banta-Cain (groin); DL Ron Brace (concussion); DL Mike Wright (concussion) LB Jermaine Cunningham (calf).
LAST WORD: The Patriots will win this one if they want. They already have the No. 1 seed in the AFC sewn up, so it might just be about working through some things and giving a few players a longer look while the stars take a breather.