The New England Patriots just dropped their NFL Week 9 rooting guide, and guess who made the cut for a must-win? Our very own Seattle Seahawks, battling the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday! The craziest part is the Patriots are pulling for us specifically because of a strength of schedule tiebreaker. Yeah, you read that right. The AFC East crew needs *us* to win to help their own standing. Wild, right?
The Early Slate: What the Pats Are Eyeing
Kicking off the week on Thursday night, it was the Jacksonville Jaguars taking on the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots were squarely in the Ravens’ corner, even with Baltimore trotting out a third-string quarterback who’s already banged up. Talk about hoping for an upset, huh? Then, on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals played the Atlanta Falcons, and the Denver Broncos faced the Carolina Panthers. In both AFC-versus-NFC matchups, the Patriots were rooting for the NFC squads, the Falcons and the Panthers. Gotta love a good old conference rivalry when it helps your team out, I guess.
The Dallas Cowboys visited the Indianapolis Colts, and the Patriots wanted the Cowboys to win. Apparently, the Colts’ season is basically done, but New England isn’t taking any chances with theoretical comeback runs. Over in the AFC East, the New York Jets went up against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots, already holding a big advantage in standings and head-to-head against the Jets, were actually rooting for their division rival over the Chiefs. Strategy, I suppose, with the playoff picture in mind. The Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins game had the Patriots pulling for the NFC’s Lions, their Week 10 opponent visiting their Week 8 opponent. And it was another NFC pick when the Cleveland Browns met the New Orleans Saints, with the Patriots firmly in the Saints’ corner. Some games didn’t even register on their radar, like the New York Giants versus the Philadelphia Eagles or the Los Angeles Rams against the Washington Commanders, with New England deeming them to have “no direct impact.”
Later Games and Monday Night: The Chargers, 49ers, and Vikings Factor
Moving into the afternoon, the Houston Texans squared off against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots had two big reasons to root for the Chargers to grab their first win of the season: to keep the Texans at two wins and to help New England’s sixth-round draft pick, which they snagged in the Marte Mapu trade. Talk about a win-win, if you’re a Patriots fan.
After our Seahawks game against the Cardinals, the Las Vegas Raiders were in San Francisco facing the 49ers. Even though a Niners win might hurt their tiebreaker situation, the Patriots still went with the NFC team over the AFC here. Then, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battled the Chicago Bears, and once again, the Patriots were focused on strength of schedule, rooting for the Bears. Finally, for Monday Night Football, it was a massive showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills, both rocking 6-1 records. For the Patriots, this was an easy pick: Go Vikings! If New England wants to defend their AFC East crown, they need the Bills to drop non-head-to-head games, and this looked like a prime opportunity.
So there you have it, folks. Even if it’s for their own strength of schedule, the Patriots are counting on the Emerald City to pull off a W this weekend. Go Hawks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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