- Updated: Jan. 04, 2026, 4:21 p.m.
- |Published: Jan. 04, 2026, 4:13 p.m.
New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury (65) and quarterback Drake Maye (10) get ready to take the field before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)AP
FOXBOROUGH — If the Patriots want to finish with one of the top two seeds in the AFC Playoffs, they’ll have to beat the Dolphins.
Jacksonville’s blowout win over Tennessee clinched the Jaguars the AFC South with a 13-4 record. If New England beats Miami, they’d be guaranteed at least the No. 2 seed at 14-3.
They could be the No. 1 seed if Denver loses to the Chargers.
But if the Patriots lose, they’d fall to 13-4 and would be the No. 3 seed because Jacksonville holds the common-opponents tiebreaker over New England.
Houston’s late win over Indianapolis meant the Titans are locked into the No. 5 seed and are no longer a possible opponent for the Patriots. They will play the winner of the Sunday Night Football game between the Ravens and Steelers, which will decide the AFC North title.
That leaves only the Bills and Chargers as possible playoff foes for the Patriots.
Matt Vautour has covered sports professionally in Massachusetts since 1996 and has been a columnist at MassLive since 2018.
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