It has been a touch season for New England since the beginning. All the hopes shown by Mac Jones as a rookie quarterback in 2021 disappeared after a lot of struggles in the offense as a unit. Although the Patriots still have a chance to be in the playoffs of the AFC.
New England found themselves in what ended up being the most disputed division. Going up vs the Buffalo Bills was already a complicated challenge, but the rise of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets made the road even harder for them.
Their issues late in the year have them finishing with a 2-4 run. Although they were lucky in the last game since the Dolphins had to play with their third string QB for a good part of it. With that win they now have a clear path to the postseason.
What do the New England Patriots need to be in the playoffs?
There is only one place available as a wild card team, but there are four teams that could end up in it. Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Jacksonville Jaguars all could take that last spot to be in the playoffs. New England currently are 7th in the AFC with an 8-8 record.
The best part for them is that they control their destiny this week. All the Patriots have to do is beat the Bills on the road and they will qualify to next round. Of course, that’s probably the biggest problem to solve since that’s their hardest game of the season.
If they lose, they will still have a possibility depending on a combination of three other scores. In that case, they would also need defeats from Miami (vs New York Jets) and Pittsburgh (vs Cleveland Browns), and the Jaguars to win their division with a win or a tie vsthe Tennessee Titans.