Kirk Herbstreit Makes Lofty Prediction For Patriots’ Playoff Positioning

Not everyone at ESPN is dismissing the New England Patriots’ postseason prospects.

Cam Newton has caused a ruckus by twice calling the Patriots “fool’s gold” amid a 9-2 start. Kirk Herbstreit mentioned that phrase when anticipating a first-round bye for New England during Thursday’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“There’s a real shot this team is looking at 13 or 14 wins,” Herbstreit said. “Whether it’s fool’s gold or not, they’re probably gonna be the one seed. … I think New England is gonna get homefield throughout the AFC playoffs, and we know how important that is.”

The schedule plays a part. The “Thursday Night Football” color commentator and “College GameDay” panelist looked ahead to four highly winnable games when projecting his final victory tally.

Herbstreit is also excited to see New England’s running game with Rhamondre Stevenson returning from a toe injury alongside a surging TreVeyon Henderson.

“TreVeyon Henderson’s become a great story,” Herbstreit said. “But when Rhamondre Stevenson comes back, boy, they’re going to have a one-two punch in that backfield. They’ve been doing this the last few weeks with just TreVeyon. So when they get healthy, it’ll be fun.”

Earning the No. 1 seed doesn’t disprove Newton’s theory that the Patriots will be a “one-and-done” playoff participant. However, Herbstreit stressed the importance of gaining home-field advantage in colder winter conditions.

He also recalled Mike Vrabel leading the Tennessee Titans to the AFC Championship Game during the 2019 season. The head coach could get another chance to punch a Super Bowl ticket.

“If he gets that homefield throughout,” Herbstreit said, “they’re gonna be a tough team to beat.”