FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s just another bye week to Bill Belichick – except he doesn’t know who his New England Patriots will be playing next.

So the ultra-prepared coach will spend a few days analyzing his three possible opponents while his players study how to improve their own performances until they find out their first playoff foe.

It will be the New York Jets if they beat the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night. Otherwise, it will be the winner of Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.

“It’s just like having a bye week during the regular season,” Belichick said Wednesday. “You try to improve your team. If you’ve improved it, then you’ve used the time well.”

The Patriots have home-field advantage for as long as they’re in the AFC playoffs. Their first game is Jan. 16. If there’s one team they prefer to play, they’re not saying.

“These teams are the best in the league. There is very little margin for error at this point,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “I don’t think we have a pool in there or anything like that of who we want to play.”

The Patriots split the regular-season series with the Jets, losing 28-14 in the second game and winning 45-3 in the 12th. They beat the Ravens 23-20 in overtime in the fifth game after losing to them in Foxborough 33-14 in their wild-card round game last season. They haven’t played the Chiefs this season.

“The teams that we’ve seen, they’ve seen us,” Belichick said. “So, I don’t think that favors anybody.”

The NFL’s highest scoring offense does know it will be playing a team with a base 3-4 defense, since all three possible opponents use it. Baltimore has won its last four games. New York and Kansas City were 2-2.

The Patriots (14-2) have won their last eight, scoring at least 31 points in each. But Brady, who threw 36 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, insists there’s plenty to fix.

The bye week gives bruised players extra time to heal. The Patriots can use it, especially on the defensive line where just two of their top six players are currently available.

Ron Brace is on injured reserve with an elbow injury, Mike Wright missed the last six games with a concussion, Myron Pryor missed seven games with a back injury then hurt his eye in Sunday’s 38-7 win over the Miami Dolphins, and Brandon Deaderick is on the suspended list for a violation Belichick refused to disclose.

NOTES: Receiver Wes Welker and tackle Matt Light were selected to the Pro Bowl. An NFL-high eight Patriots have been chosen for the game, including Brady, guard Logan Mankins, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo, rookie cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Brandon Meriweather. …

The Patriots signed linebacker Marques Murrell, a four-year veteran they signed as a free agent in March and cut Sept. 13 after he played in the season-opening 38-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Murrell spent the last three seasons as a backup with the New York Jets, playing in 26 games and making 21 tackles.