New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long (95) is congratulated by teammates after recovering a fumble by the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Patriots won 22-17. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (Julio Cortez)
The New England Patriots have an unlikely challenger for the top spot in the AFC.
Around the same time the Pats squeaked out a win early Sunday night, the Raiders were pulling off a 35-32 win across the country, rallying from an eight-point deficit against the Panthers in the fourth quarter.
Both teams have their flaws, but both are 9-2 with five games remaining on the schedule.
Home field advantage in the playoffs is paramount, as evidenced by New England's trip to Denver for the 2015 AFC championship game.
So where does each team stand? The Raiders appear to have a much tougher schedule down the stretch.
PATRIOTS (9-2)
Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-7)
Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
Week 15: at Denver Broncos (7-4)
Week 16: vs. New York Jets (3-8)
Week 17: at Miami Dolphins (7-4)
RAIDERS (9-2)
Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills (6-5)
Week 14: at Kansas City Chiefs (8-3)
Week 15: at San Diego Chargers (5-6)
Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-6)
Week 17: at Denver Broncos (7-4)
CHIEFS (8-3)
Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons (7-4)
Week 14: vs. Oakland Raiders (9-2)
Week 15: vs. Tennessee Titans (6-6)
Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos (7-4)
Week 17: at San Diego Chargers (5-6)
Analysis: Kansas City will have a chance to move past Oakland in the standings when it hosts the Raiders for a Week 14 game (but that's assuming the Chiefs win on the road versus Atlanta, where they'll likely be underdogs). Of these three teams, the Chiefs have the toughest remaining schedule AND they're a game back.
The Raiders have three remaining road divisional games. All three AFC West oppositions are good teams, including the 5-6 Chargers. As well as the Raiders have played, they will be fortunate to come out of that with two wins. Also: Buffalo is not a pushover next week in Oakland.
As for the Patriots?
The Broncos game on the road will be difficult. They have two probable wins at home (the Rams and the Jets) and then a Monday night matchup with a typically gritty Ravens squad. Given the schedule ahead for the Raiders and Chiefs, there is a chance that New England's Week 17 game at Miami -- always an adventure -- will not even matter.
We're still a few weeks away from projecting tiebreakers. No sense in doing that yet. There will be losses over these final five games, because the Pats, Raiders, and Chiefs are all imperfect teams.
You can debate which one is playing the best right now. But you cannot debate that, among the three, the Pats have the softest schedule to close the regular season.
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