Early numbers from Las Vegas show just how easy the Patriots' road to the Super Bowl could be

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January 7, 2017 11:28 PM

Things are much different in the AFC. How different? Take a look at how lopsided the Patriots' first playoff game will be.

Tom Brady

The NFL playoffs start this weekend and it is looking more and more like the biggest mystery is just which team will win the NFC and face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

Earlier this week we took a look at which teams have the best chance to win the Super Bowl and the New England Patriots were an overwhelming favorite with a 35% chance to win it all. The biggest reason that the Pats have such a higher chance than the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys at 14%, is because the Patriots seemingly have a much easier path to the Super Bowl.

In the NFC, the Cowboys must survive a tournament that includes several teams with Super Bowl-caliber résum

If the Dolphins beat the Steelers in Round 1, the Patriots would play the Dolphins in Round 2.
If the Steelers beat the Dolphins, the Patriots would play the winner of the Texans-Raiders game.

In other words, the Patriots will be approximately a two-touchdown favorite (or more) in their first playoff game, suggesting it should be an easy win. If so, that means the Patriots only need to win one real game to reach the Super Bowl, the AFC title game. Even then, the Patriots will likely be heavily favored.

The toughest opponent the Pats could face in the AFC Championship game is the Chiefs. However, the Patriots will have the heavy advantage of playing that game at home, in

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