The New England Patriots are still treading water, following a much-needed 27-13 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Make no mistake, however, the team is still swimming upstream with a murderer’s row list of opponents to finish out the season. They’ll have a run-in with the hapless Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon, but then again, the Raiders are coached by Josh McDaniels, who knows the Patriots’ organization inside and out.
Then there are even tougher matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills awaiting them in what could quickly turn into a crash landing.
Will the offensive play-calling be good enough to score points, and even more importantly, is Mac Jones good enough to overcome everything that is wrong with this Patriots team?
The answers to those questions will mean the difference between playing on wild card weekend and facing an early exit. Here’s what the AFC playoff picture would look like, if the season ended today.
1. Buffalo Bills (10-3)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
4. Tennessee Titans (7-6)
5. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4)
6. Miami Dolphins (8-5)
7. New England Patriots (7-6)
On the bubble teams
8. Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)
9. New York Jets (7-6)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8)
11. Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
12. Cleveland Browns (5-8)
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8)
14. Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1)
