The Patriots have won four of their last five games and are playing their best football of the season, but still are two games back of the final playoff spot in the AFC.
With their win over the Chargers, they are 6-6 on the year, but as of Monday morning remain in 10th place in the AFC.
Currently, they are behind the Dolphins (8-4), Colts (8-4), Raiders (7-5) and Ravens (6-5) for spots 6-9 in the standings.
According to FiveThirtyEight, they currently have a 16 percent chance of making the playoffs. While they could sneak in with a ton of help at 9-7, the more likely road to getting in is at 10-6, which means winning the remaining four games this season.
Speaking after Sunday’s win, Cam Newton acknowledged the team knows where things stand.
“We just have to understand that we’ve just got to take it one game at a time,” he said. “We understand what position we are in, and everything is pretty much in front of us. We’ve just got to really hone in and focus on the opponents that we (are facing) that week and maximize each and every opportunity that we do get.
“And I think if we keep that doing on, we’ll be in good graces.”
The Patriots will stay in L.A. the next few days before taking on the Rams Thursday night. After that, they travel to Miami in Week 15 and then close the year with home games against the Bills and Jets.
