The New England Patriots are a win away from the top seed in the AFC, and their path to the Super Bowl could have them facing off against some tough opponents.
The New England Patriots will be in the playoffs and they’ll have a first-round bye once again. The #1 seed in the AFC though is still up for grabs. The only competition for that coveted top seed is the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Patriots can handle business all on their own.
With a week 17 win over the New York Jets, New England will secure the #1 seed in the conference. With that on the line, expect to see starters in this final game of the regular season, unless the Patriots get up by 20 or more in the 4th quarter.
Since the playoff picture is becoming clearer as the final slate of games approaches, it’s appropriate to look at all of the teams that the New England Patriots could face at some point in the AFC playoffs as they look to make a push towards an appearance in Super Bowl LII.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 12-3
Week 17 Opponent: Cleveland Browns
Week 17 Scenarios: Can clinch #1 seed in AFC with a win AND a Patriots loss/tie
The Steelers need some help from the New York Jets if they have any chance of claiming the #1 seed. Both the Patriots-Jets and the Steelers-Browns games will take place at 1 PM, so Pittsburgh will also be playing starters and looking for a win. They should get one over Cleveland, but if New England handles their business at home it won’t even matter.
Still, the Steelers will likely end up as the #2 seed in the AFC, and the Patriots could meet them in the AFC Championship Game. These two teams met in week 15, and New England walked away with a (somewhat controversial) win. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski led a spectacular game-winning drive, and after a Steelers touchdown was overturned, the defense sealed things with an interception. Antonio Brown left the game early, and it’s still not known when he will be ready to go again, but an appearance in the AFCCG would not be surprising. The New England Patriots defense would surely have their hands full with both a healthy AB and LeVeon Bell. New Patriots addition James Harrison will also add some intrigue to this matchup if it happens.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 10-5
Week 17 Opponent: Tennessee Titans
Week 17 Scenarios: #3 seed regardless of all week 17 outcomes
The Jacksonville Jaguars clearly have one of the better defenses in the NFL, but in week 16 they were shredded by former Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers put up 44 points in a win, and now the Jags are set as the #3 seed. New England would not see them until the AFC Championship Game at the earliest, but Jacksonville will have a tough playoff path.
Calais Campbell is second in the NFL with 14.5 sacks, but he also has 3 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown. Making things even better for the Jags defense is the fact that they have another pass rusher on the sack leaderboards. Yannick Ngakoue is fifth in the league with 12.0 sacks.
Jacksonville also has a stout passing defense. A.J. Bouye is second in the NFL with 6 interceptions and safeties Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson have 4 of their own. The team as a whole though is tough to figure out since they’ve beaten good teams like the Steelers, Chargers, and Seahawks, but they’ve lost to the Jets, Cardinals, and 49ers. The Jags have to depend on Blake Bortles, and although he’s having a solid season with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, question marks still remain.
As a franchise, the Jaguars have just a 5-6 record in the playoffs, but they hope to improve upon that in 2017. Their last playoff appearance came in the 2007 playoffs, as they beat the Steelers in the Wild Card round before losing 31-20 to the Patriots in the Divisional round. The Patriots are actually the most common opponent for Jacksonville in the playoffs with 4 meetings. The Patriots are 3-1 in those games, with the lone loss coming in the 1998 Wild Card.
Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 9-6
Week 17 Opponent: Denver Broncos
Week 17 Scenarios: #4 seed regardless of all week 17 outcomes
Kansas City started the season off strong with a week 1 win in Foxboro, but they’ve certainly fallen off since then. The Chiefs were 5-0 before a week 6 loss to Pittsburgh. They’ve only managed to win 4 games since that point. KC had a four-game losing streak from week 9 through week 13, but they have won the last three. The Chiefs have defeated the Raiders, Chargers, and Dolphins in recent weeks, and they should get to 10 wins with a regular season finale against the Broncos.
Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill is the Chiefs leader in receiving yards and he also has 7 touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce has 8 touchdowns, but the real weapon on that offense is rookie running back Kareem Hunt. He has 1,292 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns and 455 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns. Hunt is electric, and he’d be extremely tough for the Patriots to contain in a playoff matchup. QB Alex Smith has also put together a better than average year with his 22 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions.
The questions for Kansas City come on the defensive side of the ball now. They’re 28th in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed. Those kinds of numbers will not get this team far in the playoffs, and the Patriots may not see them if they’re knocked out in the first round.
Baltimore Ravens
Record: 9-6
Week 17 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
Week 17 Scenarios: Clinch a wild-card berth with a win/tie, or a Bills loss/tie, or a Titans loss/tie
The 2017 Baltimore Ravens may be a sneaky-good team. They have won 5 of their last 6 games, and they should be able to take down the Cincinnati Bengals to get to 10 wins and to get into the playoffs. They nearly took down the Steelers in week 14 too, losing by a score of 39-38. They seem to have found their groove after their bye week.
Joe Flacco, who is not elite, has not been great this year. He has thrown just 16 touchdown passes and has thrown 12 interceptions to the other team. Second-year running back Alex Collins is helping to get the Ravens offense going. He’s run for 895 yards and 5 touchdowns this year, to go along with 169 receiving yards.
Baltimore has some potential in the AFC, but only time will tell how things shake out. Right now though, it looks like they’ll be in at least one playoff game.
Tennessee Titans
Record: 8-7
Week 17 Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 17 Scenarios: Clinch a wild-card berth with a win, or a tie combined with a Bills loss/tie and a Chargers loss/tie, or if the Bills and Chargers both lose
Tennessee was thought of as the favorite in the AFC South before the season started, but they’ve struggled as Jacksonville has been on a roll. At 8-7, they hold the tie-breaker for the final playoff spot over the Chargers and Bills. It’s simple for the Titans, win and they’re in. That may not be so simple though since they have to face Calais Campbell and the Jaguars defense.
Marcus Mariota has not been as good as advertised this season with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He will have to perform better in week 17 if he wants a chance to make an appearance in the playoffs. When the Titans and Jags played in week 2, he was solid in a 37-16 win.
Even if the Tennessee Titans were to find a way into the playoffs, it doesn’t appear like they would be a tough opponent for anyone, let alone the New England Patriots. They simply do not have enough weapons on either side of the ball to win a playoff game.
Los Angeles Chargers
Record: 8-7
Week 17 Opponent: Oakland Raiders
Week 17 Scenarios: Clinch a wild-card berth with a win combined with a Titans loss/tie and a Bills loss/tie, or a win combined with a Titans loss/tie and Ravens loss/tie, or a tie combined with a Titans loss and a Bills loss/tie
The Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots have already met this season, with the Patriots coming out on top 21-16. Los Angeles gave New England some problems, and it was a tougher game than many thought would occur.
Melvin Gordon was a nightmare for the Patriots as he rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown. A lot of that came on one long 87-yard play, but throughout the day he was an issue. The Patriots defense though was able to limit Phillip Rivers to 212 yards through the air. Travis Benjamin was the Chargers leading receiver with 64 yards and a score, but that’s not anything crazy.
If this matchup were to appear again in the playoffs, the Patriots would likely have some more success on offense. Rob Gronkowski should be counted on for more than he was able to do in the earlier game, and the addition of Kenny Britt and return of Chris Hogan could help stretch the field. New England would not have any problems with the Chargers as a playoff opponent. Los Angeles needs some help first to even get into the playoffs. Their best bet is a win and a Titans loss and Bills loss, but none of those three things happening is a given.
Buffalo Bills
Record: 8-7
Week 17 Opponent: Miami Dolphins
Week 17 Scenarios: Clinch a wild-card berth with a win combined with a Ravens loss, or a win combined with a Chargers loss/tie and a Titans loss/tie, or a tie combined with losses by the Chargers and Titans
Like the Los Angeles Chargers, the Buffalo Bills need some help to get into the playoffs. First, they’ll have to beat the Dolphins. Then, they’ll be hoping for either a Ravens loss or losses from both the Chargers and Titans. It’s really up in the air as to who will claim that final AFC playoff spot.
If the Bills were to make it into the playoffs as the #6 seed, the path to a matchup with the Patriots would be tough. They would have to face the Jaguars in the Wild Card round and would then have to play the Steelers in the Divisional round if New England is the top-seed.
It’s clear that New England can beat Buffalo, as they’ve done so twice this season, but the Bills do create some matchup problems. QB Tyrod Taylor is a great athlete and he’s tough to contain in 5-7 yard situations. He has the ability to scramble and create plays like Russell Wilson. Still, like many teams in the playoff picture, they likely have no chance to beat the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
AFC Playoff Seeding Predictions
1. New England Patriots
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Los Angeles Chargers
It definitely seems like the New England Patriots will be the top-seed in the AFC, and that would cement the Pittsburgh Steelers in at #2. The #3 and #4 seeds are already set, and Baltimore will definitely find a way to win to get that #5 seed.
Next: Patriots sign James Harrison
The real question as week 17 approaches is the #6 seed in the AFC. The Titans, Chargers, and Bills all have a legitimate shot at the spot, and it will be fun to watch those three games to see how things play out. In my opinion, the Chargers will steal it away. The Chargers will beat the Raiders, and the Titans will lose to the Jaguars. So, even though I think the Bills will beat the Dolphins to get to 9-7, they’ll miss out on the playoffs. The tie-breaker in this scenario will go to Los Angeles, and they will sneak their way into the playoffs behind the arm of Phillip Rivers.