The New England Patriots might not have looked like a playoff contender in their underwhelming Week 13 defeat to the Buffalo Bills, but that doesn’t mean the path isn’t still there for Bill Belichick’s team.
The Patriots received some help from around the league Sunday. New England benefitted from a trio of verdicts with the Minnesota Vikings escaping against the New York Jets, Josh McDaniels’ Las Vegas Raiders defeating the Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers beating the Miami Dolphins.
All three were beneficial results for the Patriots, who are a mere one game back of the Jets for the final wild-card spot.