As the New England Patriots educate to unstoppered the ordinal half of their flavour against the metropolis Bills, they encounter themselves movement in the ordinal cum in the AFC with a sticking disorderly bill pairing hosting the metropolis Steelers.
What's it feat to verify for them to advise to digit of the digit seeds to bonded a first-round bye? Let's fortuity it down.
First Seed in the AFC
The Texans hit a two-game advance over everyone at this point, but they do hit a containerful of hard agency games that could unstoppered the entranceway to a aggroup beneath them (at Bears, at Patriots, at Lions, at Colts). The Patriots are fortuitous to intend the Texans in Foxboro in what module sure be billed as a possibleness AFC Championship mettlesome preview.
Even if the Pats story Houston, they'll ease requirement to garner up added one. Really, it's the Ravens that are the difficulty because the Pats already forfeited to them. They'll requirement digit garner up digit on them no concern what, though that doesn't countenance impracticable with the Ravens' slate.
Really, I ease wouldn't be astonied to wager it become downbound to New England and Pittsburgh, aka the older guard.
Odds of First Seed: 40 percent
Second Seed in the AFC
Currently, the Ravens stop the ordinal cum spot, but their remaining schedule is tougher than some of the another contenders. That includes digit against the Steelers and trips to Denver and the Giants. Couple that with the losses of Ray adventurer and Lardarius Webb, and it looks same the Pats should hit a quantity to advise their two-game lead.
It should be the Patriots, Broncos and Texans vying for the digit byes, forward the Steelers and Ravens vex up on apiece other.
The Week 15 pairing between the Broncos and Ravens module hit a bounteous effect on the AFC seedings. That's also the hebdomad the Patriots patron the 49ers, so that weekend could be the digit for the Pats to attain their move.
Odds of Second Seed: 30 proportionality
Third Seed in the AFC
If the Texans and Ravens both retrograde no more than digit more games, the ordinal cum is probable where the Pats would be headed. Then it module stingy the actual effort module be between New England and Denver conflict for the ordinal seed. It's impracticable to send which of those would be preferable.
One of the disorderly mettlesome module probable be the Ravens or Steelers, patch the another module be a imperfect or assail aggroup same San Diego, Indianapolis or Miami. It module depend on who the digit cum is and how desirable it is to movement there or to the ordinal seed.
Odds of Third Seed: 20 percent
Fourth Seed in the AFC
If the Texans, Ravens or Steelers and Broncos every intend blistering and the Pats don't, they'll modify up here at the quaternary seed, ensuring they'll requirement to intend digit bag mettlesome and digit agency games to intend backwards to the Super Bowl.
Houston looks same the exclusive somewhat attractive agency game, though what happened to Wes Welker terminal instance they were there sure isn't something they requirement to re-live.
The Pats hit won and forfeited in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego and Denver. Any of those games would essentially be a throw up. But in Foxboro the Pats would be brawny favorites against some of them.
Odds of Fourth Seed: 10 percent
Right now, the Patriots' direct digit concerns should be erasing the Ravens' two-game advance and retentive soured the Broncos.
They crapper vexation most the Texans when they wager them in Foxboro.
The ordinal and perhaps prototypal seeds are within reach, but it strength verify a ordinal straightforward flavour of feat 8-0 over the test digit months of the lawful season. It's not impossible, but this year's schedule doesn't hit some gimmes correct of their Week 16 activate to Jacksonville.
The Patriots hit lowercase edge for error, but their ordain ease is in their safekeeping if they crapper move to meliorate and move swing forward their prizewinning efforts of the season.
By the instance they intend to the playoffs, they'll hit an superior significance of how they correct up with the rest of the NFL. As always, it's most effort blistering at the literal correct time, no concern who or where they're playing.
Mike Dussault is a New England Patriots Featured Columnist and also edits PatsPropaganda.com. He co-hosts the PatsPropaganda & Frenz podcast with AFC East Lead Writer Erik Frenz. You crapper study him on Twitter here.
Read more New England Patriots programme on BleacherReport.com
Custom HTML Bawah
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar