The New England Patriots play a meaningless game, in terms of playoff implications, against the Miami Dolphins today at Gillette Stadium. It’s familiar territory for them.

Last year was a similar situation, playing at Houston. Little did they know that game would set in motion a disastrous finish. Slot receiver Wes Welker tore up his knee early in the first quarter of a game the Patriots lost, 34-27. A week later, Baltimore ended New England’s season in the first round of the playoffs, 33-14.

Since the Patriots already have clinched a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, it will be interesting to see how Coach Bill Belichick plays this one.

The players will want to play as much as possible, but Belichick would not say whether he will limit the starters’ playing time.

“Well, we’ll do what we feel like is best for our football team,” he said. “It’s the same thing we do every week.”

Looking back on this season, which includes an NFL-best 13-2 record going into today’s game, the Patriots have done just about everything right.

Other than a second-week loss to the New York Jets and a stunning 34-14 loss to the Browns in Cleveland on Nov. 7, the Patriots have been the NFL’s top team. They have scored at least 31 points in each of their last seven games, all victories. They’ve handled playoff-bound teams like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, the Jets and Chicago with ease, winning those five games by a combined 174-84.

While Tom Brady has regained his Golden Boy status with an MVP-type season, nearly everyone on the roster has had a hand in what has become a very special season in Foxborough, Mass. Here’s a look back at some of the key moments:

APRIL 22-26: On the first day of the NFL draft, New England selected cornerback Devin McCourty out of Rutgers, a pick that was roundly dismissed. McCourty, the experts said, would be a nice special-teams player. Well, he leads the Patriots with six interceptions and was just selected to the Pro Bowl.

On the second day of the draft, they took tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebackers Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes. On the third day they took tight end Aaron Hernandez and punter Zoltan Mesko. Every rookie has been a major contributor this year.

And finally, they signed free-agent defensive lineman Gerard Warren on April 26. His presence has allowed them to overcome the seasonlong loss of end Ty Warren to an injury and move nose tackle Vince Wilfork all along the line. 

SEPT. 12: Following a season-opening 38-24 victory over Cincinnati, wide receiver Randy Moss used his postgame interview to tell everyone he probably was done playing in New England after the season. Not that he wanted to leave, he said, but because it was a business.

SEPT. 14: The Patriots traded former No.1 pick Laurence Maroney and a sixth-round pick to Denver, getting a fourth-round pick in return. That opened the door for BenJarvus Green-Ellis, an undrafted free agent three years ago, to become the lead running back. He leads the team with 928 rushing yards.

SEPT. 18: The day before the Patriots lose to the Jets on the road, they signed Jets castoff Danny Woodhead, a 5-foot-9 running back who twice won the Division II version of the Heisman Trophy while at Chadron State in Nebraska.

In his first game with the Patriots eight days later, Woodhead ran for a 22-yard touchdown that had everyone in the stadium jumping. With third-down back Kevin Faulk out for the season following a knee injury against the Jets, Woodhead stepped into a role he seems born for. No one can predict the impact he provides.

OCT. 4: Trailing 7-6 at the half in Miami, the Patriots exploded for a 41-14 victory. Brandon Tate returned the second-half kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Patrick Chung blocked a field-goal attempt and Kyle Arrington returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Later, Chung returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown.

OCT. 6: The Patriots finally found a taker for Moss and traded him to Minnesota for a third-round draft pick.

OCT. 12: The Patriots brought back former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch to replace Moss, getting him from Seattle for a fourth-round pick. Branch has 48 receptions for the Patriots, five for touchdowns, averaging a team-high 14.7 yards. Moss has caught just 18 passes, two for touchdowns, for two teams — the Vikings waived him and he was claimed by Tennessee.

OCT. 17: The Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in overtime, a game notable for a couple things. First, Branch had nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown in his return, showing he and Brady haven’t lost their connection. Second, Brady threw two interceptions, the second by Ken Hamlin on the final play of regulation, a desperation pass to the end zone to Tate. Brady hasn’t thrown an interception since.

NOV. 2: Left guard Logan Mankins returned after a prolonged contract dispute and immediately rejoined the starting lineup. How good is he? Well, Mankins was voted to the Pro Bowl, despite missing seven games. 

NOV. 7: The Patriots fell to earth, losing 34-14 to Cleveland, a game in which nothing went right. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to New England, which hasn’t lost since.

NOV. 21: In their annual November showdown with the Colts, the Patriots intercepted Peyton Manning four times, including a last-minute pick by James Sanders, and held on for a 31-28 win. The Patriots led 31-14 early in the fourth, and unlike last season, Indianapolis couldn’t finish the comeback.

DEC. 6: In a Monday night showdown for first place in the AFC East, the Patriots throttled the Jets, 45-3. It was a nearly flawless performance by the Patriots, especially Brady. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns.

DEC. 26: In a 34-3 victory over Buffalo, Brady set an NFL record for most passes without an interception.

He now has thrown 319 consecutive passes without an interception, passing Bernie Kosar’s record of 308.

New England also extended its own NFL record to seven consecutive games with 30-plus points and no turnovers.

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com