New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots regained the top spot in the AFC standings at 11-2 following their Week 13 “Monday Night Football” win against the New York Giants.
With a Week 14 bye on tap, however, the Patriots could drop down to the No. 2 seed if the Denver Broncos (10-2) defeat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Not only that, but New England could win out, finish 15-2 (which would be its second-highest regular season win total in franchise history) and still miss out on the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
Here’s how.
If both the Patriots and Broncos win all of their remaining regular season contests, both teams would finish the year 15-2, but Denver would hold the common opponent tiebreaker over New England.
The Patriots lost to the Raiders in Week 1, while the Broncos eked out a “Thursday Night Football” victory against Las Vegas in Week 10.
The good news for New England is that Denver has a much more difficult schedule than its counterparts the rest of the way.
Following their bye, the Patriots host the Buffalo Bills, face the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets on the road and close at home against the Miami Dolphins in Weeks 15-18, respectively.
The Dolphins and Jets are on the verge of mathematical elimination from playoff contention, while the Bills are hanging onto a postseason spot as the current seventh seed and the Ravens lead the AFC North, despite being 6-6.
After their Week 14 game vs. the Raiders, the Broncos, meanwhile, face four opponents that are still battling for a playoff spot.
Denver hosts the Green Bay Packers (8-3-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) in Weeks 15 and 16, before taking on the Kansas City Chiefs (6-6) on the road and playing the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) at home in Weeks 17 and 18.
Those four teams have a combined record of 30-17-1, while New England’s remaining opponents are 22-26.
The Patriots can only wait to see if they’re still at the top of the AFC playoff picture come Week 15, so their priority until then should be to get healthy.
