What Patriots Need To Do To Secure No. 1 Seed In AFC Playoffs Over Raiders

BOSTON (CBS) -- Heading into Week 16, the process for securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC was pretty clear. If the Patriots won and the Raiders lost, then the No. 1 seed would belong to New England.

However, both teams ended up winning -- the Patriots over the Jets, the Raiders over the Colts -- and so, the fight for the top overall seed and the home-field advantage that comes with it will be pushed to the final day of the regular season.

And, this week, it's just as simple.

--If the Patriots win their game in Miami, they will finish with a 14-2 record and will own the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

--If the Patriots lose their game in Miami, and the Raiders win their game at Denver, then the Raiders will secure the No. 1 seed via tiebreaker with New England.

--If the Patriots lose their game in Miami, and the Raiders lose their game in Denver, then the Patriots will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Last year, the Patriots lost in Miami in Week 17, a loss that cost them the top spot in the AFC. As a result, they had to travel to Denver for the AFC Championship Game, where they lost by two points.

Of course, the neck-and-neck race for the top seed in the AFC was soured a bit by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr suffering a broken fibula during the Raiders' victory. They'll now be quarterbacked by Matt McGloin, who has thrown just four passes this year and in his four-year career owns a 58.3 percent completion rate with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.