In the Wild Card Game for the first time since 2009, the New England Patriots will take on the Tennessee Titans on Saturday for the right to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the next round. The Patriots are entered the week as a 4.5-point favorite, but some analysts think that they are in for a tough outing against the Titans. The Patriots missed the chance to clinch a first-round bye following their 27-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their regular-season finale. Ahead of the Patriots-Titans game, iconic professional wrestler Ric Flair tweeted an inspirational message for veteran quarterback Tom Brady, who possibly will be playing his last game with the Patriots as he would turn free agent at the end of the season.

In his tweet, Flair posted a photo of him with Brady together with the message “Hey Tom, We All Get Old But So Few Of Us GET GREAT.” The Wrestling legend told Brady “Remember, To Be The Man, You Gotta Beat The Man, And You Are THE MAN! WOOOOO! @TomBrady”

Brady could be playing his last game as Patriot

During his Thursday’s press conference, the 42-year-old Brady said he is not thinking about the possibility that this could be his last game as a Patriot after a 20-year career since he was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by head coach Bill Belichick.

In a report by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Brady said that he’s focused on carrying the Patriots to victory over the Titans, and not thinking about his contract status or his future with the team. Brady will hit the free-agent market for the first time in his career, and he is expected to receive offers from interested squads who are in need of a veteran quarterback.

Brady plans to play until he’s 45 years old, but there is a possibility that the Patriots could move on from him amid the decline in his performance this season. Adam Schefter of ESPN earlier reported that Brady has three choices after this season – retire, return to the Patriots or play for another team. Among his three options, Schefter said returning to the Patriots is the least likely choice for the veteran quarterback.

Brady’s father, Tom Brady Sr., said that there are teams that would be interested in his son’s services. The older Brady also stressed that the fate of his son in New England depends on the hands of Belichick.

Patriots expected to be disciplined for videotaping issue

According to Schefter, the NFL’s decision on the videotaping controversy involving a crew from Patriots CEO Robert Kraft production crew will come out in the next two weeks. The crew was caught filming the Cincinnati Bengals sideline during their game against the Cleveland Browns last month in connection with their online series “Do Your Job”. The crew received accreditation from the Browns but they failed to inform the Bengals about it.

Schefter said the Patriots are expected to be disciplined by the league, according to his sources. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media added that per his sources, the Patriots committed a game-day violation. However, Rapoport said it was not clear if there is a link back to Belichick and the football operations because not all security reports are back to the NFL offices.
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