Heading into this evening's playoff match-up between the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans, we knew that the Patriots would play the Bengals in the Divisional Playoffs if they were to win.
However, after a blowout loss to the Texans, that is no longer a possibility. Instead, the Patriots will now play the winner of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos game tomorrow. The game will be broadcast at 4:30 PM ET on CBS.
I, for one, am a bit disappointed at the result. No Patriots player or employee would ever admit it, but the Bengals beating the Texans would have represented the easiest path to the Conference Championship for New England assuming Pittsburgh holds off Denver tomorrow.
Of course, there's a reason they play these games. And the Patriots could play the 8-8 Denver Broncos if they were to beat the Steelers tomorrow. But for now, based on what we've seen this season, that looks rather unlikely. Although Pittsburgh is banged up, I think that they still outmatch Denver, and I think they should win rather easily.
So, to recap: The Patriots will play the winner of the Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game tomorrow. The Patriots' game will be Saturday, January 14th at 8:00 PM ET.