The New England Patriots pushed their record to 12-3 in Week 16 with a 28-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. The win helped the Pats get back on track after suffering a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, and it also officially led to the team clinching a playoff berth.
Throughout the Patriots’ sudden rise to the top of the NFL this season, much has been made over the strength of their schedule, or lack thereof. While New England is playing some great football, it has benefited from playing against a historically weak slate of opponents.
That obviously shouldn’t take away from what the team has accomplished, but it is something that is worth noting ahead of the postseason. In case fans needed any evidence as to just how easy the Pats’ schedule has been, they have the same number of wins against opponents with records above .500 (two) as the New York Giants, who are 2-13.
The Patriots have only played four games against teams with records above .500 this season, and two of them were against the Bills, one of which they won, and one of which they lost. The two other squads New England faced that currently have winning records are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers.
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There’s no doubt that the chatter surrounding the Pats’ schedule is overblown; they don’t get to pick and choose who they are going to play. This is also due to teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens collapsing down the stretch, thanks in large part to N.E.’s strong play against them.
New England’s detractors will surely look to use this statistic to bolster their argument that this team is not for real, but the Patriots just continue to go out and prove otherwise. The team will look to take another big step towards wrapping up the AFC East division in Week 17 when they take on the New York Jets.
Featured image via Mitch Stringer/Imagn Images
