By: Jess Lander, YawkeyTalkies Editor

There are three games left for the Patriots to either hold on to their spot in the playoffs or for the Jets or Dolphins to ruin their post season, again.

The Patriots are 8-5, but the ‘Phins and Jets are both 7-6, only one game behind.

The remaining three games are against Buffalo, Jacksonville, and Houston. From first glance these should all be very winnable games. But, then so was the Dolphins game two weekends ago. So was the Colts game.

If we win all three, we’re in. But how confident are we at this point, coming off of some tough losses and a win against Carolina that wasn’t even all that impressive? My biggest concern is that Buffalo (5-8) and Houston (6-7) are away. I’d say we definitely beat Jacksonville who is 7-6 at home seeing that we are 7-0 at home. But that means we are still only 1-5 on the road, and that road win doesn’t even really count seeing as it was in London, so they weren’t really playing in a hostile atmosphere. The good news is both Houston and Buffalo aren’t great at home anyway, both with a losing record in their own stadium. The Pats have outscored the Bills 348-215, the Jaguars 348-235, and the Texans 348-311. They also have a significantly less points against than all three. So, the other good news is we are definitely a better team than all three of these teams. If Brady stops throwing interceptions and Moss plays like the Randy we know and love, not the Randy that gets boo’d in his own stadium, we should find ourselves safely in the postseason.

But in reality, we need to be prepared in case something happens. We know better than anyone this year that a sure thing, just isn’t. If we lose one game, and the Dolphins or Jets win, it’s a tied game and a true, tight playoff race. Exciting, but, this didn’t end well for us last year. However, as long as the Patriots get the best of three–win more of the last three than either of those two teams, we’re in.

Lucky for us, our last three games are winnable. The Jets and Dolphins don’t have it as easy.

The Jet’s have a tough couple of weeks ahead. While they are coming off a strong three game winning streak I’d have to say they aren’t the Pats biggest concern. Their last three games are against Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. The team that should stand out there is Indy. The last team you want to have to play when you’re in a close play-off race, second to the Saints, is the Colts, who are now 13-0, just three games away from our perfect season. So, I’d have to guess New York isn’t winning that one. Cincinnati is also up there, with a 9-4 record. The Jets do beat them on both points for and against, but it will still be a close one, especially since the Bengals will be coming right off a likely massacre of the Chiefs. Atlanta is 6-7, but only just barely lost to the Saints by a field goal, putting up a much stronger performance than we did. Remember getting absolutely slaughtered? Yeah, I’ve erased that from memory too. The only lucky thing for the Jets against Atlanta is a home field advantage, for the Falcons are 1-5 away. Sound familiar?

Miami’s last three games are against Tennessee, Houston, and Pittsburgh, getting the last two at home. All three of those teams have a 6-7 record to Miami’s 7-6, so the Phin’s are only one game up. All games are likely to be close, but there is no game that I’d say Miami definitely can’t win. Both Tennessee and Houston have performed well lately. Tennessee just blasted out St Louis 47-7, and before losing to the Colts the week before, they were on a hot five-game winning streak. They will probably give Miami the most trouble, especially because it is in Titan territory. Houston just ran over Seattle 34-7, a promising win after coming off of a four-game winless streak, so they might be looking to roll with that. But as for Pitt, while I’d normally, say the ‘Phins don’t stand a chance, last year’s champions are far from gone, going on an embarrassing five-game losing streak, as fans use their terrible towels to wipe away tears. So, Miami should grab at least that one.

But the lesson here is simple. If the Patriots can win the next three games, the second half of this article doesn’t even matter.

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