New England benefits from loss

Losing may have been good for New England on Sunday.

The Patriots settled for a fourth seed in the AFC playoffs after a 28-26 loss to the Dolphins. But securing a No. 3 seed would’ve meant a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who got in Sunday as the sixth seed.

Instead, New England begins its quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl at home Saturday night against the inexperienced Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4).

Although they won’t say it, the Patriots most likely prefer to play Jacksonville.

Yes, they’ve beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh in their last two meetings – on the road in the AFC championship game last season and 23-20 in the third week this season.

But the Jaguars, despite their record, played a relatively weak schedule and unlike the Steelers have few players with postseason experience. The Patriots are favored by 7 1/2 .

“Carolina (11-5) at New York Giants (11-5) (10 a.m., Sunday):

Even with a spate of late-season injuries, the Giants will be hard to beat at home, where they are 8-1, including a “road” win over New Orleans in the second game of the season. The Meadowlands could also neutralize what could be an advantage for Carolina – Steve Smith against New York’s suspect secondary – because it’s hard to throw deep in the January winds at Giants Stadium. The Giants are favored by 2 1/2 .

“Pittsburgh (11-5) at Cincinnati (11-5) (1:30 p.m., Sunday):

These teams split the season series, each winning on the road.

The Steelers, who are favored by a point despite being on the road, won 27-13 at Paul Brown Stadium on Oct. 27, but lost at home Dec. 4 by a score of 38-31. That was the last game the Steelers lost, winning their last four to make it into the playoffs.

“Washington (10-6) at Tampa Bay (11-5) (1:30 p.m., Saturday):

A replay of one of the season’s most intriguing games, a 36-35 win by the Bucs on Nov. 13 on a 2-point conversion with 58 seconds left. That came after the Redskins were offside on a blocked extra-point attempt following a Tampa Bay touchdown. The Bucs are favored by 2 1/2 .