On January 14th, the New England Patriots will go into the home of the AFC West champions for a divisional playoff game on CBS.
The Patriots are AFC East champions and 4th seed in the AFC playoffs. They finished the month of December with a 4-1 record, with the only blemish coming against the Miami Dolphins. On January 7th, they defeated the 5th-seeded team in what was a tight game before the Pats pulled away late.
The AFC West champs are coming off their best regular season this decade and posted a 5-1 division record (with the only loss at Kansas City) and a 10-2 conference record. They have a perfect 8-0 home record this season. Their QB will be starting his first playoff game in front of the home crowd.
Recent history between the 2 teams has not been particularly kind to the Patriots. The team has a losing record against the AFC West champion in the Belichick/Brady era. The Pats only victory in this span of time was sparked by the 4th-quarter heroics of QB Tom Brady. Brady has more wins than losses (10) than any QB in NFL playoff history.
Bill Belichick holds a 2-3 career record against the coach of the AFC West champs. This is the 1st playoff meeting between the 2 coaches.
The opposing coach, though no stranger to winning, has been saddled with a reputation for not winning in the playoffs and hopes to exorcise those demons against the Patriots.
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Creepy isn't it? Hopefully this is where all the similarities end from last year's divisional playoffs. Personally I see it as a redemption game for the Pats. Many feel this team has improved since last year (and I agree) but they are in the exact same position as last season and only a victory will show that they are ready to return to 'elite' status. This should be one heck of a battle.
The Patriots are AFC East champions and 4th seed in the AFC playoffs. They finished the month of December with a 4-1 record, with the only blemish coming against the Miami Dolphins. On January 7th, they defeated the 5th-seeded team in what was a tight game before the Pats pulled away late.
The AFC West champs are coming off their best regular season this decade and posted a 5-1 division record (with the only loss at Kansas City) and a 10-2 conference record. They have a perfect 8-0 home record this season. Their QB will be starting his first playoff game in front of the home crowd.
Recent history between the 2 teams has not been particularly kind to the Patriots. The team has a losing record against the AFC West champion in the Belichick/Brady era. The Pats only victory in this span of time was sparked by the 4th-quarter heroics of QB Tom Brady. Brady has more wins than losses (10) than any QB in NFL playoff history.
Bill Belichick holds a 2-3 career record against the coach of the AFC West champs. This is the 1st playoff meeting between the 2 coaches.
The opposing coach, though no stranger to winning, has been saddled with a reputation for not winning in the playoffs and hopes to exorcise those demons against the Patriots.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creepy isn't it? Hopefully this is where all the similarities end from last year's divisional playoffs. Personally I see it as a redemption game for the Pats. Many feel this team has improved since last year (and I agree) but they are in the exact same position as last season and only a victory will show that they are ready to return to 'elite' status. This should be one heck of a battle.