Whether Patriots fans wanted Broncos kicker Will Lutz to make or miss his last-second kick on Sunday against the Chiefs depends on just how scared they are of Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.
If the Patriots fans are simply rooting for the highest seed possible, then Lutz’s game-winning kick was a bad thing. If Denver had lost, New England would have ended Week 11 with the best record in the AFC (9-2), a half game ahead of idle Indianapolis (8-2).
And that would certainly be a good thing.
But a Kansas City win would have kept the underachieving Chiefs closer to a playoff spot. As of now, KC is three games behind Denver in the AFC West, so if they make the playoffs, it’s probably as a wild card.
If the Patriots get the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, they’d be hosting a wild-card team in the first round of the playoffs. There’s a pretty good chance that could be Kansas City. Do New England fans want to face a Chiefs team that has won the last three AFC Championships?
The same rooting conundrum applies again in Week 12 when the Chiefs face Indy.
Elsewhere, the Bills (7-3) pulled away late from Tampa, keeping the game between Buffalo and New England at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 14 as one of the biggest remaining for both teams.
Pittsburgh beating Cincinnati isn’t surprising. But Aaron Rodgers having a potential wrist fracture sure is noteworthy. The Steelers currently lead the AFC North, but the suddenly-surging Ravens are well-poised to pass them if Rodgers doesn’t play.
The Jaguars’ whipping of the Chargers in Jacksonville looks like it could factor into a head-to-head tiebreaker for who finishes where in the wild card race.
Here’s where things stand:
Patriots record: 9-2
Games remaining: 6
Patriots Schedule:
Nov. 23 —at Cincinnati
Dec. 1 —vs NY Giants
Dec. 14 —vs Buffalo
Dec. 21 —at Baltimore
Dec. 28 —at NY Jets
Jan. 4 — vs Miami
AFC East
|W|L|T|Pct|PF|PA|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|New England|9|2|0|.818|292|206|
|Buffalo|7|3|0|.700|292|229|
|Miami|4|7|0|.364|226|269|
|N.Y. Jets|2|8|0|.200|209|268|
The Patriots are currently 3-0 against division foes, while the Bills are 2-2, which could be significant if they finish tied.
AFC No. 1 seed race
|W|L|T|Pct|PF|PA|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Denver|9|2|0|.818|257|192|
|New England|9|2|0|.818|292|206|
|Indianapolis|8|2|0|.800|321|206|
Currently, the Broncos are each 6-2 against AFC foes, while the Patriots are 5-2, which is the current most applicable tie-breaker.
Week 11 Results
Results of games involving AFC Playoff contenders:
Thursday’s Game
New England 27, N.Y. Jets 14
Sunday’s Games
Buffalo 44, Tampa Bay 32
Houston 16, Tennessee 13
Jacksonville 35, L.A. Chargers 6
Pittsburgh 34, Cincinnati 12
Baltimore 23, Cleveland 16
Denver 22, Kansas City 19
Week 12 Games
Games involving AFC Playoff contenders:
Thursday’s game
Buffalo at Houston, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Indianapolis at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Jets at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
New England at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.
Open: Denver, L.A. Chargers
If the AFC playoffs started today:
Byes: No. 1 Denver
No. 2 New England vs. No. 7 Jacksonville
No. 3 Indianapolis vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers
No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 Buffalo
Playoff Format
Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs — Four division winners and three wild cards.
The No. 1 overall seed is the division winner with the best record. It gets a bye in the first round.
Seeds 2-4 are the remaining division winners ranked by record and any necessary tie-breakers.
No. 5 is the top wild card team, the non-division winner with the best record and any necessary tie-breakers.
No. 6 and 7 are the second and third-best wild-card teams.
In the first round:
No. 7 seed is at No. 2 seed
No. 6 seed is at No. 3 seed
No. 5 seed is at No. 4 seed
In the second round, the lowest remaining seed plays at the No. 1 seed and the other two winners face each other.
All tie-breakers can be found here
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