New England Patriots Officially ELIMINATED From 2024 NFL Playoff Contention
In an endeavor that would no doubt amuse John Witherspoon's patriarchal character from the "Friday" franchise, the New England Patriots more or less got fired on their day off.
Even a rare victory, Thursday's surprise triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers, yielded disaster for the Patriots (3-10), who were officially eliminated from 2024 postseason consideration during Sunday's Week 14 action. New England had a ludicrously preposterous way of sneaking into the postseason, but that dream ended when the Cincinnati Bengals' 34-14 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Mac Jones and the Patriots were officially eliminated from 2024 postseason contention on Sunday
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With the Bengals' win, the Patriots are the first team to be mathematically removed from the next edition of the NFL postseason.
Missing out on the playoffs creates more dubious streaks for the Patriots combined with last year's 8-9 effort: New England has now missed out on the AFC playoffs for the first time since the turn of the century (1999-2000) and the first time they've been eliminated prior to the final week of the season since the latter effort of that brief streak.
Despite their elimination, the Patriots are already playing a role in the formation of the AFC bracket: the win in Pittsburgh temporarily removed the Steelers (7-6) from the ranks of the wild card trio and they're set to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos in consecutive weeks. Kansas City (8-4) is currently competing for the AFC top seed while Denver (6-6), which hosts a Christmas Eve clash, lingers in the wild card logjam. The Patriots also complete their yearly pair with the Buffalo Bills (6-6) on New Year's Eve.
The countdown to season's end commences next Sunday when the Patriots host the Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
