Patriots rooting guide: Who New England fans should root for in Week 18’s Saturday games

The 18th and final week of the NFL regular season has arrived, with the action being kicked off today. The New England Patriots will not participate in the Saturday double-header — their game against the Miami Dolphins will be kicked off on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET — but they will likely still keep a close eye on it.

Who should they and their fans root for, though? Let’s find out. Welcome to our Patriots Rooting Guide for the games between Kansas City and Denver as well as Dallas versus Philadelphia.

4:30 p.m. ET

Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) at Denver Broncos (7-9): Go Broncos! The Patriots likely will not earn the number one playoff seed in the AFC, but there is still a theoretical chance. The first step would be for the Chiefs to lose their game in Denver. Regardless of New England’s playoff seeding, though, seeing Kansas City’s momentum take another hit after last week’s loss in Cincinnati would at the very least be a welcome development. | ESPN/ABC/fuboTV

8:15 p.m. ET

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (9-7): Go good game! The Patriots’ strength of schedule would benefit from a Cowboys win, but the tiebreaker will not be needed in the AFC playoff race. As a result, feel free to root for either team... or neither. | ESPN/ABC/fuboTV