Eastern Standard: Patriots could topple first playoff hurdle within a week
AP
COMMENTARY
Leave it to the New England Patriots to create a little extra work for everybody.
Unless the NFL has all its celebratory hats and T-shirts already primed to ship during a holiday week, it could mean some overtime for those responsible for making sure the merchandise is at your local Dick’s or Sports Authority come next Monday morning.
Another AFC East title shirt? Yawn.
Another AFC East title shirt in November? Heck, you can get almost two months out of wearing the paraphernalia this time around.
That is indeed the scenario at play should the Patriots be able to beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, then follow it up with a win in Denver next Sunday night, coupled with a New York Jets loss to the Dolphins.
The earliest that Bill Belichick’s Patriots have been previously been able to clinch a division title was on Nov. 25, also in Week 12 of the, no surprise, 2007 NFL season when they won their 11th game of the season (11-0). That’s a feat they can repeat in 2015, albeit four days following the eight-year anniversary of the last time New England clinched the AFC East in November.
Last year, as the Patriots were making their run to another Super Bowl title, the team didn’t clinch until Week 15, against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Four times among Belichick’s 12 division titles, New England sealed things up in Week 16, once in Week 17, back in 2001.
It is a tribute to just how dominant the Pats have been this season, particularly in their own division, where they will attempt to go 2-0 vs. an opponent for the first time in 2015 when the Bills come to town, 5-4, and in second place in the AFC East. Both the Jets (Houston Texans) and Dolphins (Dallas Cowboys) lost on Sunday, leaving the Patriots with the opportunity to wrap things up before the remnants of pumpkin pie have even been eradicated from the fridge.
Despite what you might have witnessed on Sunday, and in their head-to-head matchups against New England, the AFC East isn’t terrible. It isn’t good, but it isn’t terrible. In fact, only the NFC South has more wins (15) among the second, third, and fourth-place teams than the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins have amassed (14), tied with the NFC North for second place. The AFC North, West, South, and the NFC East, have all produced only 11 wins among the non-first place squads.
In 2007, the Bills Jets, and Dolphins had a combined 12 wins all season.
In fact, the biggest difference this time around, as opposed to eight seasons ago, might just be the Patriots’ ability to clinch so early impeding on the aspirations of another 16-0 regular season.
By clinching a playoff spot next Sunday, New England’s next aspiration would be securing the No. 1 seed and home-field throughout the playoffs. The Broncos would be three games back in that race, at 8-3. Presuming the 8-2 Cincinnati Bengals snap their two-game losing streak against the St. Louis Rams next weekend, they would be only two games off the pace.
But even if the Bengals fall apart quicker than they did during the last two minutes of their loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, the Patriots could have their home-field by Week 14, leaving three meaningless contests (Tennessee Titans, Jets, Dolphins) on the schedule. Even if the Bengals keep pace and the Patriots keep winning, the final two games against AFC East opponents have no implications for New England other than possibly keeping the Jets from a wild card berth.
Quarterback Tom Brady finished out the string in 2007, starting all 16 games of his team’s perfect regular season. But he wasn’t 38 years old at the time either, an age he’ll enter this year’s postseason coming off one of the better ones we’ve seen from any quarterback last January and February.
The 19-0 season is but a sidecar to the opportunity to win another Super Bowl, of course. If it happens, it happens. Neat. Belichick isn’t going to put the ultimate goal at risk, and if he has the opportunity to rest Brady heading into the New Year, he’s likely going to rest Brady heading into the New Year.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves, of course. After all, the Bills, as it stands now, are a playoff team, the sixth seed in the AFC. Buffalo is 3-1 within the division, its one loss coming against the Patriots in Week 2.
Monday Night Football. Then it’s onto Denver and the quarterback controversy heard across the land.
See you Monday morning at Bob’s. I’ll be the guy in a T-shirt.
Contact Eric Wilbur at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @GlobeEricWilbur
Guide to tailgating at Gillette Stadium
[bdc-gallery id=”595232″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com