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NFL New England Patriots

NFL Playoff Picture Week 14: New England Patriots’ Scenarios

By @petahrahgas

Getty Images

Getty Images

The playoffs are just around the corner, and the New England Patriots are right where everyone would expect them to be — atop the surprisingly good AFC East and atop the entire AFC in general.

The first goal, as it is with any playoff team, is to clinch the division, so let’s start there. The AFC East is populated with the wildly overachieving 7-5 Buffalo Bills, the young and spunky 7-5 Miami Dolphins and the horribly depressing 2-10 New York Jets. But let’s not talk about the Jets; that’d just be mean.

In order for the already wildly overachieving Bills to win the division they will need to achieve at a level that the world will agree is impossible given their remaining schedule. To win the AFC East, the Bills will have to win at least three of their remaining four games (one of which would have to be against the Patriots) coupled with the Patriots losing three of their next four. 

The Patriots’ remaining schedule is as follows: at San Diego Chargers, vs. Dolphins, at New York Jets and at Buffalo. The Bills have these gems: at Denver Broncos, vs. Green Bay Packers, at Oakland Raiders and vs. Patriots. The Bills would have to beat either the Broncos or the Packers, along with the Raiders and the Patriots, and then hope the Patriots lose to two other games on their schedule. Hate to break it Bills fans, but that’s not happening.

The Dolphins are a different beast because they have the tiebreaker over the Patriots via their Week 1 victory down in the sweltering heat of Miami. That being said, if the Patriots beat Miami in Week 15, then Miami needs to win out and the Patriots to lose their other three games. If the Dolphins do beat the Pats, then the Patriots need to finish with a better record to clinch the AFC East.

Basically what it all boils down to is the Patriots need to beat the Chargers and Dolphins and then wait for the Bills to lose to either the Packers or Broncos in order to return to the throne as AFC East champions. Not that difficult.

For the entire AFC, the path is very simple: Win out and the Patriots have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Very possible.  In fact I’d count on it. But if Hell freezes over, pigs sprout wings and the Patriots lose a game, then all of Foxborough sits and prays the Broncos lose a game as well.

Super short recap of everything: If the Patriots win out, they clinch the AFC East and the No. 1 seed in AFC, giving them home-field throughout the playoffs. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Peter Rogers is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @petahrahgas, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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