After the first few weeks of the season, the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers looked like they were destined to meet in an epic showdown in the Super Bowl this February. With the Packers not missing a beat and the Patriots looking unstoppable on offense once again, the outcome was inevitable with the two best teams in the league headed for a classic showdown in the big game at season’s end.

Now that Week 9 has come and gone, the outlook for the Super Bowl doesn’t look the same as the Green Bay Packers have still been playing at an extremely high level with an undefeated record (8-0), but the New England Patriots seem to be going in a different direction after losing two straight games to the Pittsburgh Steelers (25-17) and the New York Giants (24-20).

Even though the New England Patriots have dropped three games already this season, the New England Patriots schedule gets a little bit easier from here on out. Bill Belichick and company will go on the road next week to take on the arch division rival New York Jets in what could be a game that decides the AFC East division, but after that game the New England Patriots’ toughest challenges will come against Philadelphia Eagles (Week 12) and the Buffalo Bills (Week 17).

With the games against the Jets, Eagles and the Bills being the only potential losses left on the schedule in my opinion, the Patriots have a chance to go 10-6 and compete for the AFC Wild Card. Whether or not they are still Super Bowl title contenders remains to be seen, but I would put the Baltimore Ravens (6-2), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) and the New York Jets (5-3) ahead of the New England Patriots in the AFC Conference.

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