2012 NFL Playoff Schedule: Foxboro Advantage Makes Patriots a Super Bowl Lock

With the No. 1 seed, quarterback Tom Brady as the team's starter and home-field advantage, this team does not need much more.

Of all of the advantages, home-field will prove to be the stronger of the many that this New England Patriots team boasts. 

As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots are coming fresh off a bye week heading into their divisional-round game against a Denver Broncos team fresh off of late-game Tim Tebow heroics.

The matchup between these two hot AFC teams is a rematch of a game earlier this season in which Brady and the Patriots claimed a 41-23 victory at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The win would end the Broncos' six-game win streak the team held coming into the contest.

A win like that one is telling, as head coach Bill Belichick and his team were able to hit the film, dissect the play of Tebow and the Broncos offense and pick up a convincing win on the road at Mile High.

This meeting between the two teams is quite similar, as the Broncos are coming off of a playoff win over last year's Super Bowl-finalist Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver.

Yet the ultimate advantage in this one will be the fact that New England does not have to go to Denver to knock off a hot team riding top-notch play of the defense and Tebow. This game is being played at a sacred place for these Patriots, a place called Foxboro.

Just how big of an advantage is home field for these Patriots?

In the last three years, these Pats are a whopping 23-3 when playing games at home. Two of the last three seasons have also featured undefeated runs at home in the regular season.

In what will be a cold-weathered, lively atmosphere in Foxboro, the Patriots will have a clear advantage in this one.

Not to mention Tom Brady is as good as it gets at home this season.

In the eight games played in Foxboro, Brady has thrown 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He has also thrown for 2,540 yards and completed 66 percent of his passes. The numbers make for an impressive 100.5 rating.

The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans are the two other teams that potentially come to Foxboro to play the Patriots in the AFC championship round, a matchup that has the Patriots at a significant advantage playing at home.

The Ravens are an 8-0 team when playing at M&T Bank, yet just 4-4 when playing on the road. They are also 1-2 against the Patriots in their last three meeting since 2009.

The Texans are a stronger 5-3 on the road this season, yet come fresh off a 19-16 loss to the league-worst Indianapolis Colts.

Expect the Foxboro advantage to play a major role in this team's chances in the 2011 postseason, as Tom Brady and the troops will look to continue their dominance at home and be the AFC representative in the Super Bowl.