ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A year after Patriots’ perfection, New England will be sitting out the playoffs.
A season that began distressingly with star quarterback Tom Brady’s injury concluded just short of a postseason berth despite a stunning 11-5 record. New England’s blustery 13-0 victory Sunday over the Buffalo Bills wasn’t enough to get the Patriots in.
Miami won the AFC East later in the day, and Baltimore took the only available wild-card spot when it beat Jacksonville.
Though the Patriots did their part to avoid elimination, they lost their bid to secure a sixth consecutive playoff berth. They are the first NFL team with an 11-5 record to miss the playoffs since the Broncos in 1985.
Braced for the worst before they headed to the airport, the defending AFC champions were at least content with closing the season with four straight wins.
“We can walk out of this locker room with our heads high,” center Dan Koppen said. “We knew what type of team and what type of guys we had in this locker room coming into this season. Things happen and you’ve got to deal with it.”
