After the New England Patriots clinched their 12th win of the season via a 37-16 rout of the Buffalo Bills, their opponents for 2018 are now determined. According to Bernd Buchmasser of Patspulpit.com, the Patriots will face the Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Houston Texans, indianapolis colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings at home.
The Patriots will be on the road to face the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and the Chicago Bears. However, the time and dates of the games will be determined in the spring.
Based on the schedule, the Patriots will play their own division, the winners from the other AFC divisions, and the entire AFC South and NFC North next season.
Among the most anticipated matchups for the Patriots are the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to bounce back from an injured shoulder next season. The Patriots’ showdown against the Colts will also be one of the biggest since it is the first time that quarterback Tom Brady will face them since he was suspended four games last season due to the Deflategate scandal. The clash with the Steelers is also expected to be a huge one, just like their previous showdowns.
Patriots assured of first-round bye
With their win over the Bills, coupled with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Patriots (12-3) are now assured of a first-round bye and will be skipping Wild Card Weekend for the eighth straight year.
The Patriots can snag home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if the Steelers (11-3) lose Monday to the Houston Texans. If the Steelers win, the Patriots can still clinch home-field next week with a victory over the New York Jets. Under coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 10-1 in Divisional Round games at home, with the one loss coming in the 2010 playoffs to the New York Jets.
Gronkowski, Lewis shine in win over Bills
Dion Lewis ran 29 times for 129 yards and a score and caught a touchdown pass from Brady to lead the Patriots to their 12th win of the season, the eighth time that the team has won that many games – an NFL record. Lewis tallied a career-high 153 total yards, Rob Gronkowski caught five passes for 67 yards and a touchdown and Mike Gillislee ran six times for 28 yards and a score for the Patriots. Brady completed 21-of-28 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns and an interception.
