Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots are back on the road this week, taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Their game will be one of seven in the early window, and one of 14 overall this week.
Here is who you should be rooting for in the 13 non-Patriots matchups.
Las Vegas Raiders (2-6) at Denver Broncos (7-2): Go Raiders! The Patriots and Broncos are currently tied for the No. 2 seed in the AFC, meaning that a Raiders win might help New England gain an advantage in the standings in Week 10. | Amazon
Atlanta Falcons (3-5) at Indianapolis Colts (7-2): Go Falcons! Atlanta winning in Berlin would have plenty of positives: it would improve the Patriots’ strength of victory tiebreaker but not the Bills’, and give the current No. 1 team in the AFC a third loss — thus creating a potential pathway for New England to jump to the top of the conference. | NFL Network
New Orleans Saints (1-8) at Carolina Panthers (5-4): Go good game! The Patriots beat both teams, so it makes no difference for them who wins and who loses in this all-NFC South showdown. You could root for the Panthers in hopes of them eventually overtaking the 49ers — for reasons to be explained further down — and pushing them out of the playoff picture. | FOX
New York Giants (2-7) at Chicago Bears (5-3): Go Giants! One word: tiebreaker. With the Giants on the Patriots’ schedule this year, a New York win over the Bears would improve their strength of schedule and potentially strength of victory. The Patriots will take on the Giants in Week 13. | FOX
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) at Houston Texans (3-5): Go Texans! Two AFC South teams not on the Patriots’ schedule? Let’s root for the one currently placed lower in the standings. | CBS
Buffalo Bills (6-2) at Miami Dolphins (2-7): Go Dolphins! This one is easy. Any Bills loss will help the Patriots in their quest to reclaim the division crown after five years. | CBS
Baltimore Ravens (3-5) at Minnesota Vikings (4-4): Go Vikings! Your classic AFC versus NFC matchup. NFC all the way in this one, even if it hurts the Patriots’ strength-of tiebreakers. | FOX
Cleveland Browns (2-6) at New York Jets (1-7): Go Jets! Both teams are dead in the water, but a Jets win might end up beneficial in the long run by costing them in the draft position department. | CBS
Arizona Cardinals (3-5) at Seattle Seahawks (6-2): Go good game! You could root for Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett in this one, but it matters not from a Patriots perspective. | CBS
Los Angeles Rams (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (6-3): Go Rams! The Patriots own the 49ers’ sixth-round draft pick next year from the Keion White trade, which means that...
