Patriots miss out on bye, face tough road to repeat
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Published: Dec. 29, 2019 at 7:46 PM EST
The New England Patriots have never won a Super Bowl when having to play a wild-card game. But that's what they'll have to do this season to defend their title. New England let the No. 2 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye slip away with a shocking 27-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Patriots won their first eight games but went 4-4 in the second half of the season to fall behind the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC. The Patriots will be playing on wild-card weekend for the first time since 2009.