What a difference a day can make. The New England Patriots had one of their most successful Sundays of the 2022 season yesterday, and their offense didn’t even score a point. Yet somehow by doing nothing, not even playing, they improved their lot in the wild landscape of the AFC, and maybe even...the postseason?
That’s right: as of now, the Patriots are still in last place in the AFC East, and also in the playoffs. A cellar dweller and a Wild Card. Tough to remember ever seeing that before, but the AFC East has four winning teams, and thanks to losses by Buffalo and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Pats now hold on the seventh and final spot in the AFC Playoffs.
How very 2022 NFL.
Now, it’s only mid-November, and the postseason is a long ways away. The Patriots have eight games remaining, and a bear of a schedule. Some models say it’s the toughest in the league, others say the fourth toughest strength of schedule the rest of the way. Any which way you analyze it there are no cakewalks or gimme games, and if the Pats are to hold their ground or even further solidify their chances of making the postseason they’ll have to earn it.
It’s wild to think, what with the way their offense has struggled this season, the Patriots could squeak in as the final Wild Card or potentially win the AFC East! They could also miss the playoffs all together. They’re currently 1-1 in the East with four games remaining in division, two against defending division champ Buffalo, plus a Christmas Eve affair with playoff competitor Cincinnati, so their fate truly is in their hands.
The playoffs are a ways away, and nobody is printing shirts or tickets for mid-January football yet. The Patriots have a lot of work to do and need to improve significantly on offense to make the most of this opportunity. The 29th-ranked red zone offense just isn’t gonna cut it. Yet in a packed field the Pats have an opportunity that is legitimate. Just another sign that parity rules the league, and the most unpredictable NFL season in memory could get even wilder.
The next chance to take a postseason step comes Sunday at 1 p.m. when the as-of-now playoff-bound New York Jets visit Gillette Stadium and the as-of-now playoff-bound New England Patriots. Who would have thought that would be a real sentence?
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