The New England Patriots may have hated the Baltimore Ravens for delivering a tough loss in Week 9. But they were surely grateful for what the Ravens did to the Bills on Sunday in Week 14. Baltimore beat Buffalo on the same day that New England lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. That helped the Patriots retain a one-game lead over the Bills in the playoff seeding.
When the Patriots and Bills were on the schedule in Week 16, it was not a game which many circled as having tremendous seeding implications. But the Bills could take New England’s No. 2 seed if Buffalo wins. (The Bills would also have to win the tie-breaker factors, because they’d be 1-1 against the Patriots.) Even if the Patriots don’t lose the tiebreaker to the Bills, they could get overtaken by the Chiefs, who could earn a first-round bye with a Patriots’ loss and an undefeated finish.
Here’s a look at the seeding after 14 weeks.
1. Baltimore Ravens (11-2)
2. New England Patriots (10-3)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)
4. Houston Texans (8-5)
5. Buffalo Bills (9-4)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)
New England still controls where it will finish in the standings. If they win @ Cincinnati, vs. the Bills and vs. the Dolphins, then the Patriots will finish the season as the No. 2 seed with a first-round bye. But a win against Buffalo — and perhaps even Miami — looks much more challenging than originally estimated. With New England’s offense struggling, it desperately needs a rebound game against an unimpressive Bengals team. Past that, the Patriots’ supposedly easy path to a top playoff seed seems like a false narrative.
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