The expectations for the Patriots at the start of the season are dramatically different from the possibilities in front of them with four games left.
A franchise that pressed the reset button in the offseason — firing head coach Jerod Mayo after a 4-13 disaster and hiring Mike Vrabel to turn things around — is now sitting on the best record in the NFL going into the bye week.
The Pats have won 10 straight games and a playoff berth feels like a formality. But what’s now within grasp is a first-round bye as the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
For their part, outside of simply running the table since mid-September, the Pats haven’t made much mention of chasing the top seed. But the closest team to them in the standings is the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton was open about how important the No. 1 seed could potentially be.
Read Julian Benbow's full story at Globe.com/Sports. |
