FOXBOROUGH – It may turn out that the best thing to happen to the Patriots happened not at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, but rather down in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Long after the Patriots had safely tucked away the top AFC playoff seed for the seventh time in team history, thanks to a 26-6 win over the Jets, several teams battled to decide the fifth and sixth playoff seedings. Baltimore and Tennessee controlled their own destinies, with the Chargers and Buffalo needing to win and get help.
Three of these teams did win. The Chargers won at home against Oakland, 30-10, after which the Raiders fired their head coach, Jack Del Rio.