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2026 PLAYOFF PATH · 3-2

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
PLAYOFF PICTURE

The team’s own next result has more modeled playoff leverage than any single outside game this week.

CONTROL STATUSMostly in its own handsFSN model view · not an official clinching designation
MAKE PLAYOFFS89.1%11.0 projected wins
WIN DIVISION31.7%AFC East
NO. 1 SEED6.8%Best live seed path: #1
SUPER BOWL5.2%Most common seed: #5
Shortest Current-Week Path

What needs to go right?

Week 6
Current make playoffs chance89.1%
MODEL WIN TARGET10 wins

In 964 current simulations that finish on exactly 10 wins, 95.0% reach this target.

  1. 1
    YOUR GAMEWin your next game

    92.2% if it happens vs 78.7% if it does not

    13.5pt swing
  2. 2
    OUTSIDE HELPRoot for Chicago Bears

    90.0% if it happens vs 88.2% if it does not

    1.8pt swing
  3. 3
    OUTSIDE HELPRoot for Jacksonville Jaguars

    89.7% if it happens vs 87.9% if it does not

    1.8pt swing

Each step shows its isolated conditional effect inside the same FSN season simulations. Effects are not added together because game outcomes are correlated. Win targets are conditional on final win totals, not official clinching thresholds.

Outside Help

Other games that matter

Full rooting guide →
15.0pts
BUF at LVRoot for Las Vegas Raiders

Division odds · Huge impact

4.4pts
HOU at JAXRoot for Houston Texans

No. 1 seed odds · High impact

1.8pts
CAR at PHIRoot for Carolina Panthers

Playoff odds · Meaningful impact

1.4pts
LAC at KCRoot for Los Angeles Chargers

Division odds · Meaningful impact

1.8pts
ARI at LARRoot for Los Angeles Rams

Division odds · Meaningful impact

Quick Answers

New England Patriots playoff questions

Does New England Patriots control its own destiny?

FSN currently labels the situation mostly in its own hands. That is based on modeled weekly leverage: The team’s own next result has more modeled playoff leverage than any single outside game this week. It should not be read as an official NFL clinching statement.

What if NE wins its next game?

Its modeled playoff chance is 92.2% conditional on that win, versus 78.7% conditional on a loss.

What is the best seed still showing in the model?

Seed #1 still appears in at least 0.5% of the current FSN simulations.

NFL data via nflverse (CC BY 4.0) · College data via CollegeFootballData.com