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AFC Playoffs: Patriots secure No. 2 seed, will face familiar playoff foe
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- AFC Playoffs: Patriots secure No. 2 seed, will face familiar playoff foe
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots will go into the playoffs with some momentum. After an uneven first half, they pulled away in the second to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs.
New England needed the Chargers to upset Denver to earn the No. 1 seed, but the Broncos prevailed with a 19-3 win. If the Patriots are angry at Los Angeles for the lack of help, they can try to take it out on them next week. The Patriots will host the No. 7-seeded Chargers in the first round of the playoffs at Gillette Stadium.
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The time and date of the game will be determined after the final game on Sunday night. There will be playoff games on Saturday, Sunday and one on Monday night next week.
New England played the Chargers three times in the playoffs during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Era and won all three. They’re 3-1 all-time vs. the Chargers in the playoffs, 1-0 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers and 2-1 when they were in San Diego.
Because the Jaguars beat Tennessee earlier in the day on Sunday to finish the regular season at 13-4, the Patriots had to beat Miami to secure the No. 2 seed.
The Chargers finished the season 11-6. They entered the day as one of three teams at 11-5. They needed to upset the Broncos to keep pace with Houston and Buffalo, who each won.
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The No. 3 seed Jaguars will take on the No. 6 Bills, who leapfrogged the Chargers and avoided a third meeting with the Patriots.
The winner of Baltimore at Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m.) will be the AFC North Champion and the No. 4 seed.
They’ll face the No. 5 Texans in the first round. Houston clinched the top wild-card spot by beating the Colts earlier on Sunday.
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