After a big win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots jumped back into the seventh AFC playoff seed and now once again control their own postseason fates, despite having won just one of their last three games. But it’s a tall order for New England, one that requires knocking off Josh Allen and the Bills, a team the Patriots have had few answers for over the last three matchups.
“We’re just gonna control what we can control, it’s one game season for us, that’s the way we looked at last week and that’s the way we look at this week,” said Bill Belichick on Monday morning. “We’ll put everything we have into this one and be ready for a team that we played fairly recently, that’s clearly one of the top teams in the league. They’re a really good football team, well coached, beat us three straight times… we have a ton of respect for them. We’re gonna have to play our best game, that’s what we’re gonna get ready for.”
There could also be a path to the playoffs even if the Pats drop the game in Buffalo, but it would entail a complicated three-game parlay with long odds to hit. Also, depending on Monday night’s result in the Bills-Bengals game and then next Saturday’s Chiefs-Raiders game, Buffalo could be out of the top seed running by the time they take on the Patriots.
So yes, there are plenty of permutations for both teams, but for the Patriots the simplest one is key… flip the script vs. the Bills with a win and you’re in.
Thus, the 2022 season comes down to a familiar matchup, one the Patriots faced in the 2021 playoffs and were summarily defeated in, 47-17. It’s been an up-and-down road to get back to this point, but this Patriots team never gave up, even after back-to-back weeks of gut-wrenching last-second losses to the Raiders and Bengals, and have earned the opportunity to prove that this is a different year and that they really have saved their best football for last.
“This is a resilient group,” said Matthew Slater after the win over Miami. “I’ve been a part of…
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