On Sunday, the New England Patriots were able to clinch home-field advantage with a win against the Miami Dolphins.
It was a great Sunday afternoon for the New England Patriots. With a win against the Miami Dolphins, they were able to finish the season with a 14-2 record. The wins means they have locked up home-field throughout the playoffs.
This was certainly a goal for the Patriots this season after losing in the AFC Championship Game on the road last year. With their eighth road win of the season, they were able to accomplish that goal on Sunday.
Now, the Patriots will have a few weeks off to prepare for the AFC Divisional Round. Due to injuries in the AFC, the Patriots are the heavy favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
While the win against the Dolphins was important for securing home-field, it was also a bit of a statement. The Dolphins will be one of the Wild Card teams in the AFC this year, and the Patriots were just able to crush them on their own home-field. For New England, this is certainly a confidence booster. For the Dolphins, that is not the way that Adam Gase wants to be leading his team into the postseason.
With a week off, the Patriots will be healing up some nagging injuries, as they hope to have Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell back for the playoffs. In case they are still banged up at wide receiver, newly acquired Michael Floyd played very well against the Dolphins.
In the win, Floyd was able to make a touchdown reception, and also laid a huge block to spring Julian Edelman for a touchdown. Floyd has the potential to be a huge weapon for the Patriots in the playoffs, and he can use the bye week to get more comfortable in the offense.
The Patriots will now get to sit back and see how the Wild Card round in the playoffs plays out. Furthermore, they have to love how they are set up in the AFC with home-field advantage.
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