It’s not like the New England Patriots can’t go to the Super Bowl as a No. 2 seed. They did it just last season.
But the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC is very likely to go through Baltimore. The Patriots’ second straight loss, a rare 23-16 home defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, puts the Ravens in a position in which they need to go only 2-1 to clinch the top seed in the conference. The 11-2 Ravens beat the 10-3 Patriots earlier this season.
The 9-4 Chiefs, meanwhile, lead the 8-5 Houston Texans by a game for the No.