Patriots Would Face One Of These 3 Teams If They Beat Chargers

We know the New England Patriots will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC wild-card round, but who would be their next opponent if they earn a victory on Sunday night?

Well, it’s pretty straightforward. First, let’s look at the current AFC playoff bracket.

BYE
(1) Denver Broncos

Wild-Card Games
(5) Houston Texans at (4) Pittsburgh Steelers
(6) Buffalo Bills at (3) Jacksonville Jaguars
(7) Los Angeles Chargers at (2) New England Patriots

The Jaguars, Texans and Steelers are New England’s only potential opponents in the divisional round.

The top-seeded Broncos, who won’t play this weekend, will host the lowest remaining seed in the next round. So, if the Patriots beat the seventh-seeded Chargers and the sixth-seeded Bills beat the third-seeded Jaguars, Buffalo will head to Denver for a divisional-round matchup. New England then would host the winner of the Texans-Steelers matchup.

However, if the Jaguars beat the Bills, Jacksonville will visit New England in the divisional round, leaving the Broncos with either the Steelers or Texans.

The good news for the Patriots is that they wouldn’t have to deal with the Bills until the AFC Championship Game. And, if the goal is to avoid traveling to Denver for the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots should feel relatively confident that the Bills could upset the Broncos in the second round if they make it that far.

However, the Jaguars and Texans are both dangerous, well-rounded opponents with strong defenses and capable offenses. The Steelers are considered the weak link in the AFC playoff field, but they beat the Patriots earlier this season and still have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Regardless, these are the playoffs, and nothing will be easy.

The Patriots and Chargers are scheduled to kick off from Gillette Stadium at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.