The lone hiccup came what seems like years ago when they lost to the Jets in New York. The Pats now have a favorable road to Dallas for the Super Bowl, but despite their success against those other playoff teams, obviously nothing is certain.
New England took care of the AFC North champion Steelers earlier in the season, but with a balanced offensive attack and a great defense, the Steelers always pose a threat. Not many people are expecting much out of a young and upstart Chiefs team, but with all of their New England ties, the AFC West champs may be well-equipped for the Patriots. Of course, the opposite of that is also applicable.
The other division winner, the Colts, are an opponent the Patriots are obviously very familiar with. They've got injuries up and down the roster, but with Peyton Manning under center, anything is possible.
One of the wild-card teams, the Ravens, knows a thing or two about winning at Foxboro. Not to conjure bad memories, but Baltimore proved it's not intimidated by having to come to New England to win a playoff game after last year's shocker against the Patriots.
Then, there are the Jets. Rex Ryan and crew can claim something this season that only two teams can claim — they've beaten the Patriots. However, they also came up to New England and were handed a 45-3 beatdown.
It looks good for the Patriots, but there's still some matchups you'd probably rather avoid. What's the one team you hope the Pats can stay away from?
Which AFC playoff team poses the biggest threat to the Patriots?"online surveys
