Had the Patriots beaten the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, we already would know who they’d be facing next weekend in the AFC wild-card round: the Cincinnati Bengals.
But New England did not beat the Dolphins — so, now we wait.
The Patriots suffered a disappointing and oftentimes ugly 33-24 loss to Miami in their regular-season finale. New England finished the campaign at 10-7 after losing three of its final four games.
Thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ shocking win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots no longer can drop to the seventh seed, which would result in them traveling to the Kansas City Chiefs next weekend. However, there still is one variable in play that could affect New England’s playoff seeding.
The Raiders will host the Chargers on Sunday night in a win-and-you’re-in game for both teams. If Las Vegas wins, the Patriots will drop to the sixth seed and visit the Buffalo Bills next weekend. If Los Angeles prevails, New England will prepare for a trip to Cincinnati, where it will face the Bengals.
If the Chargers and Raiders tie, both teams will make the playoffs while the Patriots will stay in the fifth seed, setting up a first-round matchup with Cincinnati.
It’s that simple.
