OXBOROUGH - ''What will it take to get to the playoffs?''
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Now we know that even Bill Belichick plays that game.
''There was a point in the year when we were 1-3 and I asked the team, `How many wins will it take to get to the playoffs?' They answered 10. We had 12 left. You do the math,'' said the Patriots coach yesterday, borrowing a line from Terry Glenn.
If our math is correct, it is six wins and two losses later. There are four games remaining, and the Patriots need to win three to achieve their goal of 10 wins. That should make it a clear-cut road to the playoffs.
At present, they are in the sixth and final playoff position, so they don't need help from anyone else. They are 4-2 in their division, a favorable record in case of a tiebreaker. They have two more divisional games, against the hapless Bills (1-10) on the road, and the Dolphins (8-3) at Foxborough.
The final quarter of the season is at hand, starting with the 6-5 Cleveland Browns at home Sunday. If the Patriots continue to play well, they could do the unthinkable by making the playoffs in a year that was supposed to be spent rebuilding. It would set the area on its head.
''I think very early we were a team that lacked confidence,'' said Belichick. ''Well, I wouldn't say we lacked it but we didn't have as much as we do now. We lacked execution. If you go back to that first Jets game [a 10-3 loss on Sept. 23d] and compare it to now, it's pretty noticeable.''
Could the Patriots win out? Why not? Every team has its down periods, and the Patriots had one in the first half of Sunday's rematch with the Jets. But they corrected themselves and pulled out what may be the toughest game left on the schedule.
The Patriots may be in a playoff slot right now, but there are four other teams with four or five losses (Baltimore, Jets, Cleveland, and Seattle) competing for the final three spots.
Of those teams, the Patriots have the easiest schedule, as they face the 1-10 Bills and 1-11 Carolina Panthers, albeit both on the road.
The world champion Ravens (8-4) are on a bye week - which gives the injuries to defensive tackles Sam Adams and Rob Burnett and running back Terry Allen more time to heal - but then they have tough games remaining with the AFC Central-leading Steelers (home), Bengals (home), Buccaneers (away), and Vikings (home).
The Ravens lost to the Bengals Sept. 23, 21-10, and beat the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, 13-10, Nov. 4. In the last six weeks, the Ravens have pulled out five games in the fourth quarter. They have won two consecutive games and are getting better execution from quarterback Elvis Grbac.
Jets fans seem to think they're in for another collapse. In a New York Daily News poll yesterday, more than 68 percent of respondents believed a December swoon was on the way.
Of the Jets' final five opponents, only Buffalo can be considered a doormat. Three are on the road - where the Jets are 5-0 - but they're at Pittsburgh (9-2), Indianapolis (4-7), and Oakland (8-3).
The Browns are coming off a 31-15 loss to Tennessee, and four of their last five are on the road. They play Jacksonville (3-8), the Patriots (7-5), Green Bay (8-3), Tennessee (5-6), and Pittsburgh (9-2).
The Seahawks (6-5) needed an overtime field goal to beat the Chargers, 13-10, Sunday. Their five remaining games are against teams of similar records: at Denver (6-6), the Giants (5-6), and San Diego (5-7), and home against Dallas (3-8) and Kansas City (3-8).
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