Somehow, Patriots still have a simple path to making playoffs
BOSTON -- Between the great lateral debacle in Las Vegas and the late fumble on Christmas Eve vs. the Bengals, things couldn't be going much worse for the Patriots right now. They're under .500, and they've kicked away a couple of key opportunities to turn this season around.
Yet somehow, they're still very much alive in the playoff picture.
That's mostly because of the Miami Dolphins, who have managed to hit a tailspin far worse than what New England is experiencing. With a home loss to Green Bay on Christmas Day, the Dolphins have now lost four straight games, dropping them to 8-7 on the season.
As a result, the Dolphins are barely clinging to that final wild card spot in the AFC. And the Patriots can overtake them with a head-to-head win in Foxboro next weekend.
If the Patriots win that game, they'll be in a virtual tie with the Dolphins at 8-8.
Then, if the Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo in Week 18 -- admittedly, that's an enormous if -- then New England will earn a trip to the postseason.
While nobody would like the Patriots straight-up against a full-powered Bills team, there is a chance that Buffalo could be strategizing in Week 18. The Bills have a tough game next week in Cincinnati on Monday Night Football. And if the Bills lose that game after the Chiefs presumably beat the Broncos, then it could cost Buffalo their spot atop the AFC and the first-round bye that comes with it.
At that point, the Bills could play to win in Week 18 while hoping that the Raiders somehow beat the Chiefs to give the No. 1 seed back to the Bills.
Or, the Bills could rest their starters against the Patriots, knowing that if they lose, they'll get to host a playoff game -- possibly New England in the wild card round for the second straight year -- a week later. Taking that route would surely open the door for a New England victory in Week 18 and, thus, a playoff berth.
All of that, though, is assuming that the Patriots can remember how to win games, which is something that clearly has been an issue during this dreadful 1-4 stretch dating back to Thanksgiving. It's been so bad that the mere subject of making the playoffs has become a divisive point among fans, with some still pulling for a playoff berth with others turning to rooting for failure in order to ensure that proper changes are made on the coaching staff. The prospect of heading to, say, Buffalo for a wild card smackdown once again in January isn't all that appealing to too many fans.
Still, there is value in being a playoff team, and the players on the field are likely to be pushing to make that happen.
Whatever the case may be, the Patriots have proven without question that none of this can be predicted. So it's not worth digging too deep into the different scenarios.
But for simplicity's sake, we can say this: The Patriots have two games left, and if they win them both, then they're in the playoffs for a second straight year. Somehow.
