The New England Patriots' path to the AFC playoffs is difficult, but it's also pretty simple.
Let us explain.
All the Patriots have to do to secure the third wild card spot and No. 7 seed is win their final two games -- Week 17 at home versus the Miami Dolphins and Week 18 on the road against the Buffalo Bills. So, they control their own destiny, but beating these two AFC East rivals won't be easy.
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That said, the easier of the two games is Sunday's matchup with the Dolphins. Miami has lost four consecutive games entering Week 17. It's also possible that Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa doesn't play against the Patriots after being placed in the concussion protocol earlier this week. Tagovailoa is 4-0 in his career versus the Patriots.
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Beating the Bills in Week 18 is going to be a tough task. Buffalo has a three-game win streak over New England and five wins in the last six matchups of this rivalry. The Week 13 game between the Bills and Patriots at Gillette Stadium wasn't very competitive.
New England Patriots
There is one way for this Week 18 game to become much more winnable for the Patriots, and that's if the Bills clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a playoff bye before playing New England.
As hard as it might be, Patriots fans should be rooting for the Bills and Denver Broncos in Week 17.
Why is that? Well, if the Bills defeat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo will secure the No. 1 seed as a result. With nothing left to play for in Week 18, we could see the Bills rest several of their starters on both sides of the ball to prevent important players from suffering an injury prior to the playoffs.
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The Patriots would much rather face the Bills in that kind of scenario. The alternative is the Bills going into Week 18 needing a victory to clinch the No. 1 seed and playing all their starters.
How likely are the Bills and Broncos to both win this week? The Bengals are a tough opponent and have won seven straight games. It still wouldn't be a surprise if the Bills ended the Bengals' streak, though. Buffalo has an elite quarterback, a very good defense and also has won six consecutive games. The Broncos beating the Chiefs is the more unlikely outcome of the two. That said, the Broncos played the Chiefs tough in a 34-28 loss at home in Week 14. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson had his best game of the season with 236 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Rooting for the Bills is understandably hard for Patriots fans, but if things break right for New England in Week 17, its path to the playoffs could get a little bit easier.