The New England Patriots are a true anomaly.
Making the playoffs in back-to-back years is quite difficult. Four out of 12 playoff teams from last season have qualified in three straight years or more, including the Kansas City Chiefs (five), Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints (three apiece).
That makes the Patriots' streak of 11 straight appearances all the more unlikely. And projecting this year's 14-team playoff picture even harder.
For guidance, ESPN reached out to league execs and coaches to scout last year's playoff teams. We took that input and ranked playoff chances from one to 12, wearing a white shirt for the tomatoes to be hurled our way.
