The Patriots lost their first-round bye.
Earlier in the season, the New England Patriots were the clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl. They were 8-0 and had the best defense in the entire league. Throughout the second half of the season, the team began to derail as Tom Brady’s offense couldn’t get anything done. On Sunday, the team has a chance to wrap up the season with a win and secure a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. Their opponent was the Miami Dolphins so it was supposed to be easy. Instead, the team lost 27-24 thanks to a last-minute drive by the Dolphins.
With the loss, the Patriots were jumped by the Kansas City Chiefs and will now have to play the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round. After the game, Brady spoke about the game and how the Patriots failed to get the job done.
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“Yeah, it was just we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing and it ended up costing us. Just too many bad mistakes,” Brady said per Pro Football Talk.
The Patriots are now heading into the playoffs with a record of 4-4 in their last eight games. Three of those losses are against teams in the AFC playoff picture which makes their road to the Super Bowl that much harder. Not to mention, the Titans are on a bit of a hot streak with Ryan Tannehill at QB. If the Patriots aren’t careful, they could be an early exit which is surprising considering where they were just two months ago.
