The New England Patriots‘ path to the playoffs is completely in their own control right now, and they even have a chance to clinch a spot with their Week 15 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
With a win, the Patriots would earn a spot, but even more so, they would also clinch the AFC East division title.
“We’re just trying to play for the championship that we have available this week, and I think it’s a great testament to our players that have put us in this position to be able to do that,” head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters earlier this week. “Again, that’s not going to be easy. This is a very good football team. There’s a reason that they’ve won this division five years in a row. A lot of respect for them. Theyâre never out of it, never down, and they may be down, and just like last week, it’s a football team that understands that somebody’s going to make a play. And then the quarterback is going to give them a chance to the very end.”
So, while the easy solution is for New England to win, some other situations could still see them lock things up this week.
Here are the ways the Patriots can clinch a playoff berth:
- Patriots win OR
- Patriots tie + Los Angeles Chargers loss OR
- Patriots tie + Houston Texans loss or tie OR
- Patriots tie + Indianapolis Colts loss or tie OR
- Patriots tie + Jacksonville Jaguars loss OR
- Texans loss or tie + Colts loss or tie (as long as both don’t end in a tie)
The Denver Broncos Currently Have The Tie Breaker Over The Patriots
GettyDenver Broncos
The Denver Broncos and the Patriots both have the same record, tied at 11-2. And if the season were to end today, the Broncos would hold the No. 1 seed, earning the first-round bye over New England.
The reason: Denver has the tiebreaker based on their record against common opponents.
However, there are still four games remaining for each team, meaning there’s plenty of time for one team to overtake the other. And for the Patriots, things are looking good as their toughest remaining opponent is the Buffalo Bills, whom they will face this weekend. They are also set to compete against the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins.
As for Denver, they have to face the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Chargers. And when looking at that, their so-called easiest opponent would be the Chiefs, who were in the Super Bowl last season.
These next four weeks are going to be VERY interesting.
A Few Other NFL Teams Can Clinch A Playoff Spot in Week 15
GettyNFL
Denver Broncos
- DEN win OR
- DEN tie + LAC loss OR
- DEN tie + JAX loss OR
- DEN tie + HOU loss or tie OR
- DEN tie + IND loss or tie OR
- HOU loss or tie + IND loss or tie (as long as both don’t end in a tie)
- LAR win
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