It's remarkable how much has changed for the Patriots since the middle of October.
After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, New England faced a steep climb not just toward winning the AFC, but also toward NFL playoff qualification. Now, winners of seven straight, the Patriots sit atop the AFC standings and are viewed as legitimate Super Bowl LVI contenders.
FiveThirtyEight and Football Outsiders are two advanced analytics websites that provide various playoff odds and scenarios for NFL teams. Both sites' algorithms rank the Patriots among the top teams in the league.
FiveThirtyEight
Make playoffs: 98%
Win division: 80%
Clinch first-round bye: 47% (first in AFC)
Win Super Bowl: 15% (third in NFL)
Football Outsiders
Make playoffs: 99.7%
Win division: 84.9%
Clinch first-round bye: 64% (first in AFC)
Win Super Bowl: 29.2% (first in NFL)
The Patriots also are featured in four of Football Outsiders' five most likely Super Bowl LVI matchups. As has been the case the last few weeks, a Patriots-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game is the most likely matchup at 17.8%.
Of course, with four games remaining in the regular season, much of this is subject to change for the Patriots, who will visit the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night before hosting the Buffalo Bills in Week 16.
