Pats Pulpit
It may not have been pretty, but the New England Patriots were able to keep their win streak alive against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Thanks to their 26-20 win, they are now 10-2 and the current No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The other 13 games played this weekend also are worth keeping an eye on, though. So, here is who you should be rooting for in the non-Patriots matchups between on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.
Carolina Panthers (6-5) at San Francisco 49ers (7-4): Go Panthers! Once again, strength of victory is the deciding factor in our rooting interest for this game. The Patriots beat Carolina in Week 4, while the other top AFC teams — the Broncos and Colts — do not have the team on their respective schedules. | ESPN
The following games have been played earlier in the week:
Buffalo Bills (7-3) at Houston Texans (5-5): Go Texans! The Patriots have a 1.5-game advantage over the Bills in the AFC East, but a Buffalo loss on Thursday night would give them more wiggle room in the race for the division crown. | BUF 19, HST 23
New York Jets (2-8) at Baltimore Ravens (5-5): Go Jets! Both teams are on the Patriots’ schedule, but a Jets win is still the preferred outcome. Not only would it allow New England to keep a distance to an AFC playoff challenger, it also would be a safe play in regards to the strength of victory tiebreaker — Who knows what will happen against Baltimore in Week 16? — and further remove New York from the competition for the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. | NYJ 10, BLT 23
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) at Chicago Bears (7-3): Go Bears! The classic AFC vs. NFC matchup, with a Chicago win giving New England more breathing room in the competition for the top seeds in the conference. | PIT 28, CHI 31
New York Giants (2-9) at Detroit Lions (6-4): Go Giants! This is all about the potential strength of victory tiebreaker: the Patriots will play the Giants in Week 13. | NYJ 27, DET 34 (OT)
Minnesota Vikings (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (6-3-1): Go good game! The impact this game has on the Patriots’ playoff outlook is rather limited, unless you care deeply about the Chargers’ or Ravens’ strength of victory (in that case, the Packers would be the team to root for). | MIN 6, GB 23
Indianapolis Colts (8-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-5): Go Chiefs! As much fun as it would be to see Kansas City drop below .500 and further away from playoff contention — which in turn could have a positive effect on two Patriots draft picks in 2026 — this pick is with AFC playoff seeding in mind. A Colts loss would be good news for New England’s quest to finish as the...
