The New England Patriots have the best record in all of football right now. Mike Vrabel has turned the franchise around overnight, and while theyāve had the easiest schedule, you can only beat whoever is in front of you.
Drake Maye and the Patriots have also won some tough games this season. It hasnāt always been perfect, but the tape and the underlying metrics show this team is for real.
With that in mind, Ethan Hurwitz of Patriots On SI identified the two clearest paths for the Patriots to punch their postseason ticket on Sunday. Even with a tie or a loss, they could still get in.
Even with a loss, the Patriots can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday
āThis one is the most straightforward outcome of the bunch. For the Patriots to recapture the division crown they once owned for so long, all it takes is a single victory over the Bills in Week 15. The win (paired with the Bills losing) would give New England the tie-breaker on the year,ā Hurwitz wrote.
Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots
āThe Patriots would need any of the following teams to have a specific result. The Patriots would earn a playoff berth if they tied, and either the Jacksonville Jaguars or Los Angeles Chargers lost, or the Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans either lost or tied. In a crazier outcome, if New England were to lose to the Bills, if the Colts and Texans both lost, they would clinch their first berth into the tournament since 2021,ā Hurwitz explained.
Of course, Coach Vrabel wonāt be satisfied with just making the playoffs, even if the Patriots win. Thereās plenty of football to be played, and they canāt afford to get complacent now.
