Where do the Patriots stack up against the other playoff teams?

The New England Patriots compare favorably with the rest of the postseason field when it comes to offensive and defensive statistical balance.

After an up-and-down season defined by uncharacteristic lows and unsatisfying highs, the Patriots finally looked like who we expected them to be all season in a dominant win against the Jets. The New England defense clamped down on Sam Darnold and Gang Green’s offense, holding New York to just three points. Tom Brady and the offense held up their end of the bargain as well, scoring 38 points for the first time since hitting that plateau four straight weeks earlier in the season.

As a result, the Patriots finish the year as the NFL’s No. 5 offense in yards gained and its No. 4 offense in points scored.

The defense finished a lackluster No. 21 in terms of yards allowed, but makes up for that figure by also finishing No. 7 in total points allowed.

Add it all up, and the stats paint the picture of a fairly standard Patriots team under the guidance of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Top-five offense, bend-but-don’t-break defense. It’s the classic New England prototype.

The other 11 teams that made the postseason all run the gamut when it comes to where they finished statistically on the year. The Rams and Chiefs are the only other playoff qualifiers who also sport a top-five offense in both yards and points. The Colts and Saints are in that category for scoring but not for yardage.

Defensively, the Bears and Ravens are the only two playoff teams that finished top-five in yards and points allowed… both actually made it to the top-three. The Texans were top-five in scoring defense but middle-of-the-pack in yards allowed.

Here’s where the Patriots’ three potential divisional round foes rank compared to New England in these four important categories:

Houston Texans

No. 15 yards gained (NE No. 5); No. 11 points scored (NE No. 4)

No. 12 yards allowed (NE No. 21); No. 4 points allowed (NE No. 7)

Los Angeles Chargers

No. 11 yards gained (NE No. 5); No. 6 points scored (NE No. 4)

No. 9 yards allowed (NE No. 21); No. 8 points allowed (NE No. 7)

Baltimore Ravens

No. 9 yards gained (NE No. 5); No. 13 points scored (NE No. 4)

No. 1 yards allowed (NE No. 21); No. 2 points allowed (NE No. 7)

Based off those comparisons, which team would you most like to see the Patriots face in the next round of the playoffs? Let us know in the comments section below!