Patriots earn second seed in AFC - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

Patriots earn second seed in AFC - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston: "FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Patriots have earned the second seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs after defeating the Dolphins 28-0 in Week 17 to conclude the regular season at 12-4.

After the Texans fell to the Colts earlier in the day, the door was opened for the Patriots to capture a top-two seed in the conference. Because the Broncos defeated the Chiefs today, they will be the top overall seed in the AFC and will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after finishing 13-3.

Here's a look at the final AFC playoff standings and the wild-card round matchups, which will be played next weekend (day/time TBD).

1. Denver (13-3, AFC West champion)
2. New England (12-4, AFC East champion)
3. Houston (12-4, AFC South champion)
4. Baltimore (10-6, AFC North champion)
5. Indianapolis (11-5, wild card)
6. Cincinnati (10-6, wild card)

Wild-card round matchups: Cincinnati at Houston; Indianapolis at Baltimore "

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