Breaking Down the Road to NFL Playoffs for the New England Patriots

November 7, 2012   ·   Drew Bonifant   ·   Jump to comments

If you're a New England Patriots fan, you took a look at this year's schedule when it was released in April, glanced down at the second half and had to smile.
The Dolphins twice? The Bills? The Colts? The—are those the Jaguars? Really?
The Patriots play only one game after Nov. 1 that isn't either at home or in sunny, tranquil Florida. Surely, this was going to be like last year, when the Patriots went 8-0 against bad, injury-ravaged team after bad, injury-ravaged team, giving them the bye week that proved so crucial during a run to Super Bowl XLVI.
Instead, what was looking like a cakewalk back to the playoffs could end up being a winter test for the Patriots.
The Dolphins have been a tough opponent all year. The Jets, while in free fall from week to week, have already shown that they're still going to play the Patriots tough. And two of the NFL's toughest teams, the Texans and the 49ers, remain in December.
The most surprising challenge, however, is in ...

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