NFL Playoff Picture: Who Patriots Would Play If Season Ended Today

Is it too early to talk about potential Patriots playoff matchups? Probably, but let’s do it anyway.

New England, 8-4, has won six games in a row and now sits atop the AFC East. However, because the Baltimore Ravens beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night, the Patriots still are second place in the conference. So, if the season were to end after Week 12, New England would be playing on wild card weekend.

Here are the current NFL wild card matchups:

AFC
— No. 2 New England Patriots vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
— No. 3 Tennessee Titans vs. No. 6 Buffalo Bills
— No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals

NFC
— No. 2 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 7 Washington Football Team
— No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers
— No. 4 Dallas Cowboys vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams

A matchup with Los Angeles would be good news for the Patriots, who have won 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Chargers, including seven straight. The Patriots beat the Chargers in an AFC Divisional Round matchup in 2019, New England’s first playoff victory en route to a Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams.

New England will visit the Bills next Monday night with first place in the AFC East on the line.