NFL playoff football is right around the corner, but not for the Patriots.
Yes, you're reading that correctly.
New England was eliminated from postseason contention Sunday with a Week 15 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. This will mark the first campaign since 2008 in which the Patriots failed to reach the playoffs. Furthermore, New England is bound for its first season with a .500 record or worse since 2000.
A part of Rodney Harrison likely was hoping to see his former team return to the playoffs. But the pure football fan in the ex-safety is looking forward to the change of pace.
"It's going to be exciting to a certain degree," Harrison said Sunday of a playoff field without the Patriots, as seen on NBC's "Football Night in America." "I mean, I can't wait to see Buffalo. A lot of hype, a lot of people believing in Buffalo. We'll see what happens."
New England's 2020 season will conclude in the first weekend of January. The Patriots will host the new AFC East champion Bills next Monday night, followed by a regular-season finale against the New York Jets in Foxboro.
While New England no longer has much to play for, it sounds like we still can expect a high level of effort from Bill Belichick's team in those two contests.
