The New England Patriots have once again claimed the top spot in the AFC playoffs. With the first round coming up this weekend, the Patriots get a look at the opponents they might be up against next week. Fortunately for them, the competition isn’t nearly as intimidating as in the past.
The Pats have three possible opponents they could be up against next week in Foxboro. They will either play Houston, Oakland, or Miami. New England has beaten Miami twice and shut out Houston earlier in the season, even without Tom Brady.
Coming into the season, Houston showed a lot of promise. The Texans signed former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler to a monster contract 4-year deal worth $72 million. The problems came when Osweiler failed to live up to expectations and was benched late in the season for backup Tom Savage. After Houston showed flashes of a competent passing attack with Savage behind center, the Texans seemed poised for a playoff run. In the final regular season game, Savage took a hit that sent him to the concussion protocol. This leaves Brock Osweiler back in the starting role It is hard to imagine Osweiler escaping round one with a win. A quarterback lacking confidence can lose the game himself, rather than the opponent winning.
The Oakland Raiders were one of the biggest threats coming into the playoffs. Unfortunately, they are suffering from a case of extremely bad luck. Quarterback Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula against the Colts in week 16. Prior to his injury, Carr was a possible MVP candidate. With a potent passing attack featuring Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, the Raiders had the talent to dethrone the Patriots. Now on their second backup quarterback, the Raiders coaching staff will have to work wonders to escape round one.
There seems to be a trend among AFC teams this year, as the Dolphins will also be starting a backup quarterback in round one. Ryan Tannehill suffered a knee injury late in the season, leaving Matt Moore as the starter. Moore has put together a respectable backup performance. Out of all the backup quarterbacks in the first round, he has the most experience as well. Shockingly, Miami might pose the biggest threat, although that isn’t saying much.
As long as no one gets injured during their week of rest, it would be surprising to see the Pats struggle against any of these opponents. That being said, New England needs to take care of business regardless of the opponent.
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