The New England Patriots were two quarters away from securing the AFC East championship against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. However, despite taking a 24-7 lead into the locker room at the half, they failed to finish the deal and in the end were beaten 35-31 by the five-time reigning division champions.
The loss did not just put an end to the Patriots’ 10-game win streak, it also allows Buffalo to remain alive in the race for the AFC East crown. With the two rivals now tied in head-to-head matchups, only one game separates them with three weeks left to play in the season.
With that said, let’s take a look at the standings with only the primetime games on Sunday and Monday left to be accounted for. (*designates teams with games left to be played in Week 15).
As noted above, the Patriots still hold the edge over Buffalo heading into the final three weeks of the season. However, any slip-up can prove to be fatal and end up moving the division championship back from Foxborough to Orchard Park — especially if coming in the last two weeks.
A look at the tiebreakers separating the two clubs, after all, shows that New England currently has the advantage due to its superior division record: the Patriots are currently 3-1 compared to the Bills’ 3-2. If the team of head coach Mike Vrabel wins its remaining two games versus the AFC East, there is no way for the Bills to overtake them even if they would lose against the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday night.
However, a loss to either New York or Miami in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively, would open the door for the Bills. The Patriots, after all, would then lose out on the fourth tiebreaker: conference record.
On the bubble: 8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6), 9. Baltimore Ravens (7-7), 10. Miami Dolphins (6-7)*
Eliminated: 11. Kansas City Chiefs (6-8), 12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-10), 13. New York Jets (3-11). 14. Cleveland Browns (3-11), 15. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12), 16. Tennessee Titans (2-12)
The Patriots’ hopes of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC and associated first-round playoff bye took another hit on Sunday. Not only did they lose to the Bills, the Broncos also beat the Green Bay Packers 34-26 to improve to 12-2 and officially punch their ticket to the playoffs. They furthermore hold the tiebreaker edge over New England in case the two clubs finish on the same record (and that is if the Patriots even end up as winners of the AFC East when all is said and done).
On the other end of the AFC spectrum we find the three-time reigning conference champions. The Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday after losing 16-13 to the Chargers, a game that also saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes go down with a serious-looking injury late.
