It doesn't take much to figure out that New England's playoff hopes are fading quickly. Three straight division losses coming off the bye week have dropped the Patriots to 6-5, which would leave them out of the postseason.
Right now New England and Kansas City are both one-and-a-half games behind Buffalo for the sixth, and final, AFC playoff spot. Should the Patriots and Chiefs both pass the Bills and remained tied with each other, Kansas City would get the nod by virtue of a victory over New England in Week Five.
As a result, New England needs help in catching up to the teams ahead of them.
"All we can do is go after Dallas, but we need help for anything good to happen for us right here," said Head Coach Pete Carroll.
The Patriots trail Jacksonville, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Miami, Seattle, Buffalo and Kansas City. Though the odds are against New England, Carroll said the season is not over with five games to go.
"You know help is out there," Carroll said. "It always shows up and you always have an opportunity to get some help somewhere down the road here. We're going to need a little bit of help, and that's quite obvious."
