The New England Patriots today head to Pittsburgh seeking to become the first team in NFL history to earn a playoff berth in 10 straight seasons and are suddenly in the mix for the top seed in the American Football Conference.
Kansas City had the inside track to the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but the Los Angeles Chargers’ 29-28 victory over the Chiefs on Thursday has opened the door for Tom Brady and the Patriots.
At 9-4, New England top the AFC East. They would need to win their final three regular-season games to have a chance of topping the conference ahead of either the Chiefs or Chargers — now both 11-3 in the AFC West.
The first order of business for the Patriots is to secure their playoff spot, having failed last week in Miami, where the Dolphins’ dramatic last play produced a game-winning touchdown.
“We still have a lot of football to play,” Brady said in the aftermath of that defeat. “There was a lot of positives from [that] game that we have to kind of use going forward, that we will use going forward.”
The Patriots have won their past five meetings with the Steelers, including a victory in the 2016 AFC championship game.
However, New England have had their struggles on the road this season, losing four of seven away from home, and they will be up against a Pittsburgh team desperate to salvage their playoff hopes after three straight defeats.
“We realize what’s at stake,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who expects to play, despite bruised ribs. “No panic. We still control our destiny, but it’s not going to get any easier.”
The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams continue their pursuit of National Football Conference supremacy.
NFC South division winners New Orleans will be out to strengthen their playoff hand when they visit the Carolina Panthers, whose playoff ambitions are on life support after five straight defeats.
“Even though we’ve clinched the South, these next three games are very important for us as far as where we want to be heading into the playoffs,” Saints linebacker A.J. Klein said.
While the Saints’ prolific offense led by quarterback Drew Brees has cooled slightly, New Orleans’ defense has led the league in run defense for much of the season and their pass defense has improved in the past few weeks — an ominous sign for the Panthers, with quarterback Cam Newton coming into the must-win contest nursing a sore shoulder.
The Saints are tied at 11-2 with NFC West winners the Los Angeles Rams, who host Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Rams, smarting from a loss to Chicago last week, have not lost two in a row under second-year coach Sean McVay and will be keen to bounce back with a win that could put them in line for a first-round bye.
Elsewhere, the Bears will try to build on their upset of the Rams and capture the NFC North title with a victory over the Packers in Green Bay.
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