After one of the worst two-week stretches of the Patriots dynasty, playoff losing ones not included, the Patriots return home to cap off the final two games of their season, first against the 5-9 Bills.
Strangely, this is very much a must-win game for the Pats. They need to win out and hope that Houston loses once to open up the second seed in the AFC. With the disparity between how they’ve played at home and how they’ve played away, never has a bye and homefield advantage felt more important.
The 2018 Patriots might not be the same 12-plus-win juggernauts we’ve seen for the past handful of spoiled seasons, but they’re still a very good team capable of making a Super Bowl no matter what seed they end up at. Still, the most favorable road is the one that stays in Foxboro as long as possible and there’s nothing wrong with hoping for that.
The Pats won’t win many people back over with a victory over the Bills. If the sky is falling at 9-5, beating a team Tom Brady has owned more than any other feels more like an obligation. But again, this game matters in the standings and it matters for the team to get back on track and gain some playoff momentum.
Here’s the gameplan.
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