As Michael Corleone would say; “Just when you thought the New England Patriots were out, they pull you back in.”
The Pats improved to 5-4 on the season, with a 24-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Winners of three straight, and four of their last five, the Patriots chances of earning a spot in the 2021 NFL Playoffs are beginning to seem more than reasonable.
In fact, New England currently occupies the seventh overall position in the AFC. If the season ended today, the Patriots would be seeded as the third wild card. New England holds the tiebreaker over the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, based on best win percentage in conference games.