"The New England Patriots will host their first playoff game at Gillette Stadium since the 2019 season next week. After beating the Dolphins, 38-10, in their regular-season finale on Sunday evening, the Patriots secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC and will host the No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs next weekend."
"New England needed a win against Miami to secure that No. 2 seed in the AFC - guaranteeing home-field advantage up through the AFC Championship Game. Had they lost to the Dolphins, the Patriots would have dropped to the No. 3 seed after the Jaguars beat the Titans earlier on Sunday afternoon, which would have resulted in a first-round meeting against the Bills."
"The Patriots had a chance to leapfrog the Broncos and secure the No. 1 seed (and a first-round bye) after beating Miami. But, the Patriots also needed the Broncos to lose to the Chargers on Sunday evening to make that happen. That scenario was already looking grim entering the final week of the NFL regular season, especially with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh announcing last week that the team intended to rest star QB Justin Herbert instead of playing him in Week 18 against Denver."
The Patriots beat the Dolphins 38-10 in the regular-season finale to clinch the AFC East and the No. 2 seed. The No. 2 seed guarantees home-field advantage through the AFC Championship Game. The team will host the No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round, with date and start time pending. A loss to Miami would have dropped New England to the No. 3 seed and produced a first-round matchup with the Bills. A first-round bye was possible only if the Broncos lost to the Chargers, but Denver defeated Los Angeles 19-3.
Read at Boston.com
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