Field position game

Bill Belichick just told us something with his throw-it-long decision on 4th-and-13 from the Giants 31-yard line: He doesn’t have great confidence in kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who could have tried a 49-yard field goal.

Why else would Belichick not kick? The loss of field position is not great. If Gostkowski had missed, the Giants would have taken over at the 39-yard line. Throwing incomplete gave New York the ball at the 31. What’s the difference in that?

Keep an eye on this. If New England needs a field goal, don’t get too confident in the replacement for ultimate Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri. Belichick certainly isn’t.