A path to the postseason still exists for the New England Patriots, but they might have to move mountains to get there, following the recent agreed upon changes for the AFC postseason.
NFL owners met up to install the changes in the aftermath of the cancelled Week 17 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. The game was originally postponed and eventually scrapped altogether after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on Monday night.
With the season winding down, the Patriots are clearly running out of options to secure their spot in the wild card round of the playoffs. But there’s still a clear path with a victory and even a loss ahead of Sunday’s clash with the Bills.
Here are the playoff-clinching scenarios for the Patriots heading into the Week 18 regular season finale.
Patriots upset the Bills
This scenario right off the top would make things significantly easier for the Patriots because it cuts out the need for any outside help.
Of course, it’s also the toughest path possible considering it would actually take New England rolling into Highmark Stadium and knocking off arguably the best team in football. The Patriots are at least fortunate enough to control their own destiny.
A win gets them into the big dance, and a loss will likely leave them on the outside looking in for the second time in three seasons. Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was right on the money in calling Sunday’s contest a “plastic bag game” because a loss would likely end with players getting a trash bag and clearing out their lockers.
Jerod Mayo called Sunday a “plastic bag game” for the Patriots.
If they lose, everyone gets a trash bag to clean out their lockers. Win, and they’re in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/NE6O16lmsd
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) January 6, 2023
Patriots lose to Bills, Chiefs beat the Raiders
In this scenario, the Bills would set themselves up for a possible neutral site AFC championship game against the Chiefs, assuming both teams progress far enough in the postseason.
So instead of going back to Arrowhead Stadium, where they were defeated in last year’s divisional playoff game, the Bills would have an opportunity to face Kansas City on a neutral playing field.
As for the Patriots, they’d need the Miami Dolphins to lose to the New York Jets, the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose to the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars to knock off the Tennessee Titans to still find a path into the wild card round. That sounds simple enough, right?
Not if you’re the Patriots.
Patriots lose/beat Bills, Raiders upset Chiefs
Some are wondering what would happen if the Las Vegas Raiders somehow upset the Chiefs. Just imagine the buzz of Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham outdueling Patrick Mahomes and playing spoiler in the AFC seeding.
I’m sure Patriots fans don’t want to imagine it considering the former Auburn standout was basically gifted to the Raiders for nothing (Stidham and 2023 seventh-round pick for 2023 sixth-round pick) back in May.
As mentioned earlier, the Patriots would be in with a victory regardless of any other scenario on the board. However, a loss would mean they’d need help.
If the Raiders and Bills win, Buffalo would take the No. 1 seed and ensure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. A loss to the Patriots and win for Las Vegas, on the other hand, would mean the Bills would face the Chiefs at a neutral site.
That means there’s a clear reason for the Bills to play with the intent to win on Sunday, which isn’t good news for the Patriots.
