Rex Ryan's dreams of calling a blitz to bring down
coach/quarterback Bill Belichick were just sacked.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots are "all but certain" that their two quarterbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, will be healthy enough to play against the Bills on Sunday. And that ends the Patriots' quarterback crisis, which had Ryan joking about the possibility of facing a Belichick-quarterbacked team.
Both players participated at Tuesday's practice, according to the team's website.
If Garoppolo's reported sprained AC joint is healed enough for him to play, he figures to be the Patriots' top quarterback. In his first two starts, he guided the Patriots to a win against the Cardinals in Arizona and then lit up the Dolphins for three touchdowns on three offensives series before suffering the injury.
Even if Garoppolo can't suit up, the Patriots will likely be in good hands with Brissett, who's dealing with a thumb injury.
In Brissett's first career start, he guided the Patriots to a dominant win over the Texans. That win was more about the Patriots' shutdown defense, but still, Brissett did enough to help his team overcome the absence of Garoppolo, completing 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards, zero picks and a touchdown on the ground.
So no, this obviously isn't good new for Ryan's Bills, who shockingly toppled the Cardinals for their first win of the season Sunday. Ryan is 4-11 against Belichick in his coaching career and, even with Tom Brady absent, he'll be outmatched on the road against the best team in football.
The Patriots are one game away from regaining Brady. If they win that game, they'll have gone 4-0 sans Brady despite using two quarterbacks who had never started a game in their careers.
That has to be the most Patriots thing ever.