One reason for the Pats being favored is the outstanding play of the league’s best quarterbacks, Tom Brady. It seems that no matter who his supporting cast is, he always appears to find a favorite target and use him to exploit opponents' weaknesses. This year Brady has been lucky enough to have two impressive receivers, Wes Welker, and the outstanding tight end Rob Gronkowski.

While the outstanding Wes Welker has always been a staple part of the offense, the emergence of Gronkowski has been the team’s best surprise of the year. Scoring 17 times, he set the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season by a tight end, and it's only his second year in the league! The reason for Gronkowski's success has a lot to do with Bill Belichick’s ability to change the philosophy of his offence to highlight the player’s talents. Using another outstanding tight end, Aaron Hernandez, Belichick has been able to capture a great deal of attention from the opposing team’s defense. This strategy opens up large spaces on the field for Gronkowski to make plays.

Enjoying a first round bye, Bill Belichick will be getting the team ready to face the winner of one of the Wild Card playoff games. The Steelers are responsible for one of the three losses, and are a scary possible match up in the Divisional game. Another real threat is the resurging Denver Broncos. Lead by a ferocious defense, and a quarterback that never quits, Tim Tebow, this team is no longer considered an easy win. The Bengals and Texans are also threats to upset the Super Bowl minded Patriots, but both teams are starting quarterbacks with no previous playoff experience. Whatever the match up, Gillette Stadium will have an electric atmosphere that can only be created by a home playoff game.

What: New England Patriots Playoff Games
Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA
When: January 14-22, 2012
URL: http://www.patriots.com/

Recommended Hotel: Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers