The New England Patriots were off on Christmas, but they still had a vested interest in the day’s proceedings with the Denver Broncos taking on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the Chiefs had nothing to play for. They’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention and lost Patrick Mahomes for the season, positioning the Broncos as heavy favorites.
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While the game was closer and uglier than expected, Denver pulled it out in the final minutes, escaping with a 20-13 victory after overcoming an early deficit.
The outcome was bad news for New England. The Broncos improved to 13-3, pulling half a game ahead of the 12-3 Patriots for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
To get the top seed, New England needs to win out by beating the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins over the next two weekends. Both teams have already been eliminated from the postseason, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.
The Patriots don’t control their own destiny, however, as they also need Denver to lose its season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are at home and will have a rest advantage for that game, so they’ll likely be favored, especially if the Chargers lose to the Houston Texans this week and don’t have much to play for.
Denver has the tiebreaker over New England if they both end up at 13-4. If they do and the Jacksonville Jaguars also get to 13-4, the Jaguars own the tiebreaker.
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For now, the Patriots need to stay focused on beating the Jets and trying to win the AFC East, which they can clinch this week if they win and the Buffalo Bills lose to the Philadelphia Eagles. That would at least guarantee hosting a home game in the playoffs for the first time in six years.
