The New England Patriots clinch number 1 seed in the playoffs yesterday with a win over the Miami Dolphins. In the first place, the game against the Dolphins received a lot of hype.
Patriots Clinch Number 1 Seed
Of course, the Patriots already were the AFC champions for the 8th straight season. Since last year, the Patriots lost the final two games of the season, they came to play this year.
With the Patriots win over Miami yesterday of 35 – 14, they became the number one seed in the AFC. Not only will they have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but more importantly they did it without Gronkowski. Equally important to note is without Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots have gone 8-0. Although the Patriots could have used Gronkowski this season, it is a credit to their offense on how well they did.
Also, the Patriots now hold the record for the most consecutive division championships. Moreover, they have 7 consecutive seasons with 12 or more wins. Hence, that also coincides with 7 straight first round byes.
In addition to the Patriots being without Gronkowski for the last half of the season, they also were without Brady for the first four games.
Patriots v Miami
Not to mention, the Patriots haven’t done well in Miami territory, they were hoping for a victory in their final game. Different from last year, the Patriots left no room for a loss.
First, Tom Brady had two touchdown completions before the end of the first quarter. Second, Brady had one of his best seasons. He completed 28 touchdown passes with only 2 interceptions. In addition, he broke the record held by Nick Foles of the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles.
Playoff Picture
Because of the Patriots position, they will not play until January 14th or 15th. The Patriots will face either the Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins or Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
Conclusion
Not only did the Patriots have the best record in the AFC, but also the best record in both leagues. With Dallas Cowboys losing their last regular season game, the Patriots ended up with one more win and one less loss.
In conclusion, how far will the Patriots go this season. Will they go all the way? Furthermore, there are a lot of good teams this year. Overall, football fans are in for an exciting playoff season.
Of course anything can happen in the playoffs. Unlike other professional sports, the playoffs comes down to one game. I predict the Patriots v Giants in a Superbowl rematch.
