The New England Patriots have won their division in 15 of their past 17 seasons, so they’re no stranger to the playoffs. They’ve also been able to secure a first round bye in 12 of those seasons, including in each of the past eight years, so they have plenty of experience in taking advantage of the bye week.
“We’re very fortunate to be in the position that we’re in not having to compete in the first round,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said. “We certainly earned that, so we’re thankful to be where we’re at.