Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season began with two games on Saturday, and both affected the New England Patriots in the AFC playoff race.
The Kansas City Chiefs secured first place and a playoff bye by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 31-13 at Allegiant Stadium. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-16 to win the AFC South title and secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2017.
The Patriots can only reach the playoffs as the No. 7 pick. Seed #2 hosts seed #7 at Wild Card Weekend.
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New England’s path into the postseason remains simple: win and you’re in. Thanks to the Jaguars’ victory, however, the Patriots have a path to the playoffs other than beating the Bills on Sunday.
Here’s how Saturday’s two games impacted the Patriots’ playoff scenarios.
- The Chiefs’ victory means the only potential Wild Card Weekend opponents for the Patriots are the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. These are the only teams that can finish with number 2. The Bills get the #2 if they beat the Patriots. They could also get second place by losing to the Patriots combined with the Bengals’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals will earn second place if they beat the Ravens and the Patriots beat the Bills.
- As a result of the Jaguars’ win over the Titans, the Patriots could still earn the No. 7 pick if they lose to the Bills. They also need the New York Jets to beat the Miami Dolphins and the Cleveland Browns to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Patriots bills are scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.