If there's one thing New England Patriots fans haven't enjoyed much of over the last decade, it's cheering on their team during Wild Card Weekend.
ESPN fired off an interesting tweet Tuesday noting the lack of Wild Card round playoff games played by the Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns this decade.
Hmm, one of these things is not like the others.
Several people in the replies to this tweet were quick to point out the Patriots' situation is far different than that of the Browns and Buccaneers, which obviously is true.
The Patriots have earned a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs in nine consecutive seasons, and they've advanced to the AFC Championship Game in eight straight seasons. The last time the Patriots played on Wild Card Weekend was 2009, and it was one of their worst playoff defeats of the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era. The Baltimore Ravens came into Gillette Stadium and beat the Patriots 33-14 in a game that was never close.
The Browns have one playoff appearance (2002) since re-entering the league in 1999. The franchise's last playoff win came in 1994 when Belichick beat the Patriots as Cleveland's head coach. The Buccaneers have enjoyed more playoff success than the Browns of late, winning Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders during the 2002 season and making five playoff appearance since 2000. The Bucs, however, haven't tasted postseason action since 2007.
New England Patriots
It wouldn't be surprising if the Browns played on Wild Card weekend this season. Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. lead a talented offense that has the potential to make Cleveland a real contender in the AFC, and the Browns have been a trendy pick to win the AFC North division all offseason. Picking the Patriots and/or Buccaneers to play in early January is a much tougher bet.
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