Spencer Ware, Bruce Irvin

Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware (32) runs against Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Bruce Irvin during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

(Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Monday Night Football comes to Foxborough this week, as the Patriots host the Ravens in a crucial game for both teams.

Thursday Night Football is also of extreme interest to the Pats.

The Chiefs welcome the Raiders to Arrowhead in two days. A Kansas City win would knock Oakland to 10-3 on the year and give the Pats a chance to take a one-game lead by Monday.

It would also swing the balance of the pivotal tiebreaker should the Patriots lose a game down the stretch.

I'll admit it. I fell down the playoff tiebreaker rabbit hole on Monday. It's fun at first. Then it gets a bit tedious.

Here's the short of the tiebreaker scenario: The Pats are rooting for the Chiefs to win the AFC West.

If the Raiders win the division and end up tied with the Patriots, Oakland owns the necessary tiebreakers.

But if the Chiefs win the division and end up tied with the Pats, the tiebreaker is almost certain to go to New England. The Chiefs have already lost games to the Steelers and Texans. The Patriots beat both teams. This gives them an enormous advantage in the critical common opponent tiebreaker, which will likely be the deciding factor.

The only way the Chiefs can match the Patriots in the common opponent tiebreaker would be if the Patriots lose to both the Broncos and Jets, while the Chiefs take care of the Broncos once more. And then the Chiefs would likely win the top seed based on strength of victory.

The first two tiebreakers will likely not apply in the event of the Pats and the AFC West champ finishing with the same record.

1). Head-to-head: The Pats only play Denver out of the AFC West. The Broncos need a ton to happen -- win out, have both Oakland and Kansas City lose twice -- to have a shot to win the division. If the AFC West teams finish in a three-way tie at 12-4, Kansas City would win the division.

2). Win-loss-tied record within the conference: The Patriots, Raiders, and Chiefs have each lost to one NFC opponent. Each team has four AFC opponents remaining on the schedule. If there is a tie, the teams will have identical records against the AFC.

3). Common opponents: The Patriots are at a disadvantage against Oakland. They're at an advantage against Kansas City.

You're a Patriots fan, right? Root for Kansas City to win the AFC West. That's as simple as it gets.

And now, to confuse you further, some potential tiebreaker scenarios:

Scenario One: Patriots and Raiders win out.

No. 1 seed: Raiders (14-2)

No. 2 seed: Patriots (14-2)

The Raiders will win the third tiebreaker, record among common opponents. They'll be 5-0 versus the four common opponents (Broncos, Bills, Texans, Ravens), while the Patriots will be 4-1.

Scenario Two: Patriots lose at Broncos in Week 15, Raiders lose at Chiefs in Week 14, Chiefs lose vs. Broncos in Week 16

No. 1 seed: Raiders (13-3)

No. 2 seed: Patriots (13-3)

Same as above scenario. Oakland would have the third tiebreaker, record versus common opponents. This would also hold true if the Patriots lost to the Ravens, but not the Broncos.

Scenario Three: Patriots lose at Broncos in Week 15, Raiders lose at Chiefs in Week 14, Chiefs win out

No. 1 seed: Patriots (13-3)

No. 2 seed: Chiefs (13-3)

All three teams would be 13-3. The Chiefs would win the AFC West by virtue of its sweep versus the Raiders. The tiebreaker between the Patriots and Chiefs would revert to common games. The Pats would be 4-1 against common opponents -- the Texans, Jets, Steelers, and Broncos -- while the Chiefs would be 3-2.

Scenario Four: Patriots, Raiders, Chiefs, and Broncos all end up 12-4.

In this unlikely scenario, the Broncos would have to win out, beating all three teams (and also the Titans). The Patriots and Raiders would each need to lose two games. The Raiders would lose to both the Chiefs and Broncos. The Patriots would lose to the Broncos and another team (Ravens, Jets, or Dolphins). The Chiefs would lose to only the Broncos.

No. 1 seed: Patriots (12-4)

No. 2 seed: Chiefs (12-4)

The Chiefs would win the AFC West by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker (they'd be 3-1 against the Raiders and Broncos).

The Pats would then win the common games tiebreaker against the Chiefs.

Scenario Five: Patriots lose to Dolphins in Week 17, Raiders lose to Broncos in Week 17, Chiefs lose to Raiders in Week 14

No. 1 seed: Raiders (13-3)

No. 2 seed: Patriots (13-3)



In this scenario, the common games tiebreaker between the Raiders and Pats would be a wash. Both would be 4-1 in common games. The tiebreaker would move to strength of victory, where the Raiders currently have a massive advantage.

Patriots' victories would be against teams with a current combined record of 61-93-2. Raiders' victories would be against teams with a current combined record of 76-80. It will be almost impossible for the Patriots to catch the Raiders in this tiebreaker. So, in theory, if Oakland wins the next three games, it could have the No. 1 seed secured by the time it travels to Denver for Week 17.