Patriots Playoff Push: New England Rooting For Bills, Brady This Weekend?
After more than a decade of being exploited by the Patriots as mere fodder, the Buffalo Bills have recently dominated New England. Josh Allen's team bullied the Pats earlier this month in Foxboro and will be a heavy favorite when they meet again Jan. 8 in western New York.
But Saturday night, the Bills can do the Patriots a big favor.
If Buffalo beats the Dolphins and New England takes care of the Raiders Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, the Pats will pull into a tie with Miami with matching 8-6 records in the chase for an AFC Wild Card berth.
Miami visits Gillette Stadium Jan. 1 in a game that could determine who goes to the postseason and who goes home early in 2023.
A look at the results New England is rooting for in Week 15:
SATURDAY
Buffalo Bills over Miami Dolphins: The 10-3 Bills all but wrapped-up the AFC East. A loss by 8-5 Miami would plunge the Dolphins back into the Wild Card mix with a matchup in Foxboro looming.
Cleveland Browns over Baltimore Ravens: Either the Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals - both 9-4 - are going to be a Wild Card contender. New England needs both to suffer defeats, just in case.
SUNDAY
Detroit Lions over New York Jets: A win by New England and a loss by New York would basically bury the Jets. The Pats have the tiebreaker because of a season sweep.
Tennessee Titans over Los Angeles Chargers: Both enter with the same 7-6 record as the Pats. But while the Titans are on track to the win the AFC South, the Chargers are the same boat as New England - out of their division race, angling for a Wild Card.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Cincinnati Bengals: New England rooting for Tom Brady in December, who'da thunkit? If the Bengals can't overtake the Ravens for the AFC North they'll be a strong Wild-Card contender. The Pats host Cincy next weekend.
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