Hope it's OK to create a new topic for Patriots playoff talk apart from the NFL 2016 season thread. We've had dedicated Patriots threads in the past and I feel like the NFL thread is targeted to fans of all teams.
Considering that there are about 173 Sixers threads (on a Celtics blog), this thread should be acceptable.
I know that any team can beat any other on any given day, and the Patriots have had a couple of playoff klunkers during the Brady-Belichick era (bound to happen with so many playoff appearances), but I think the Chiefs and the Steelers are the only AFC teams that could reasonably be expected to give the Pats a struggle at this point.
OAK's chances have been obliterated due to injuries, and the HOU offense is pretty terrible. MIA has played better of late, but is clearly inferior to NE. I see KC as the main hurdle, primarily because of its D, but PIT has just enough pieces to maybe be a challenge.
So, whom do I want facing the Pats? I guess I don't have a preference. NE's D has started to click, the Brady/Bennett combo appears to be getting comfortable, and the Patriots have been adding weapons—signing Floyd, getting Lewis back from injury a few weeks ago, and now Amendola is back. I think they're loaded for bear.