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That Brian Hoyer-Patrick Mahomes Matchup We've All Dreamed About Will Happen Monday Night

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Rob Carr. Getty Images.

Brian Hoyer vs. Patrick Mahomes. The 35 year old undrafted quarterback making $1 million against the 25 year old 10th pick making $503 million. Male pattern baldness meets the face of NFL football. The guy with 10,274 passing yards in 69 games (38 starts) takes on the guy with 10,310 passing yards in 34 games. 16-22 faces 27-7. Super Bowl LIII champion vs. Super Bowl LIV champion. 

Bring it on. Personally, taking nothing away from Hoyer who has had the coaching staff's faith for years for good reason, I've been on Jarrett Stidham's jock so long I was hoping he'd get the start. But nevertheless, bring it on.

There are people, some of them very respected legends, who say the Patriots would've been better off with a cancellation. 

… but to them I say NO. A thousand times no. As the Ed Harris character says in "Apollo 13" when one of the NASA suits says the mission is going to be America's worst failure in space, "With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour."  Or as that other great rocket scientist Herb Brooks put it:

You can't shy away from great opportunity just because the man who built your entire offense around somehow contracted a virus that's killed a million people worldwide. Instead, you grab that opportunity by the throat, pull it's still-beating heart out of its chest and eat it while it watches in horror. That's what the Patriots did in 2016 when the viral infection that is Roger Goodell took their quarterback away. They went 3-1 with a DII quarterback and a rookie who needed surgery on his throwing hand immediately after the one loss. So they can do it again with the man they got back when they traded said DII quarterback. 

And if they do, it will be nothing less than the finest (regular season) hour of the Belichick Dynasty. Writ large on national prime time television for all the world to see. So by all means, do not wish this game be postponed any further. Let them play. Let them show the world what this team is made of.