Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season began Saturday with two games, and both of them impacted the New England Patriots in the AFC playoff race.
The Kansas City Chiefs locked up the No. 1 seed and a playoff bye by beating the Las Vegas Raiders 31-13 at Allegiant Stadium. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-16 to win the AFC South title and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.
The Patriots can only make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. The No. 2 seed hosts the No. 7 seed on Wild Card Weekend.
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New England's path to the postseason remains simple: Win and you're in. However, thanks to the Jaguars' victory, there is a path to the playoffs for the Patriots that doesn't involve beating the Bills on Sunday.
Here's how the two games Saturday impacted the Patriots' playoff scenarios.
- The Chiefs' victory means the only potential Wild Card Weekend opponents for the Patriots are the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. Those are the only teams that can finish with the No. 2 seed. The Bills get the No. 2 seed if they beat the Patriots. They also could get the No. 2 seed by losing to the Patriots combined with the Bengals losing to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals earn the No. 2 seed if they beat the Ravens and the Patriots defeat the Bills.
- As a result of the Jaguars beating the Titans, the Patriots could still earn the No. 7 seed if they lose to the Bills. For that to happen, they also need the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kickoff for Patriots-Bills is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.