Can the 5-6 New England Patriots still make the playoffs?
Short answer: Yes. Last week’s upset win over the Arizona Cardinals kept them in contention. But they’ll likely need to win their final five games while receiving some help from the AFC’s other wild-card hopefuls.
Here’s how wild-card standings stack up heading into New England’s Week 13 matchup with the 3-8 Los Angeles Chargers:
5. Cleveland Browns (8-3)
6. Miami Dolphins (7-4)
7. Indianapolis Colts (7-4)
8. Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)
9. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
10. New England Patriots (5-6)
The Patriots currently own head-to-head tiebreakers against the Dolphins, Raiders and Ravens. The following teams can help them out by winning this week:
Cincinnati Bengals
The Dolphins haven’t announced who will start at quarterback this Sunday, but either Tua Tagovailoa or Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn’t face much resistance from the 2-8-1 Bengals, who are starting Brandon Allen behind center after losing top pick Joe Burrow for the season. Miami, which has been powered by Brian Flores’ formidable defense this season, is favored by 11.5 points. This is the final gimme on the Dolphins’ schedule, as they finish with games against Kansas City, New England, Las Vegas and Buffalo.
Houston Texans
The Colts will face the Texans twice in the next three weeks, with this first AFC South matchup taking place in Houston. The Texans might be better than their 4-7 record suggests — as the Patriots found out firsthand in Week 11 — but now are without their No. 1 receiver and top cornerback after Will Fuller and Bradley Roby both were slapped with six-game PED suspensions. The Colts scored back-to-back quality wins over the Titans and Green Bay Packers before being blown out 45-26 by Tennessee last week.
New York Jets
After being whipped 43-6 by the ready-for-next-year Atlanta Falcons, the Raiders face an ideal bounce-back opponent in the winless Jets, who have a real chance of achieving 0-16 ignominy. If the Raiders look anything like they did last week in Atlanta, though, this might be the most winnable game left on Gang Green’s schedule. Their final four opponents: at Seattle, at Los Angeles Rams, vs. Cleveland, at New England. A Raiders loss coupled with a Patriots win would allow the Pats to leapfrog Jon Gruden’s club in the AFC standings.
Dallas Cowboys
This has been the week from hell for the Ravens, who had their roster decimated by COVID-19 cases and their Thanksgiving matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers delayed three times before finally being played Wednesday afternoon. Shorthanded at several key positions, Baltimore lost that game 19-14, its third straight defeat. The Ravens will play in another unconventional time slot this week, hosting Andy Dalton and the 3-8 Cowboys — who were trucked by Washington last Thursday — on Tuesday night. At this time, it’s unclear which of their COVID-positive players — a list that includes star quarterback Lamar Jackson and Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews — will be available against Dallas. As with the Raiders, the Patriots can overtake Baltimore with a win and a Ravens loss.
