New England Patriots Will Clinch AFC East With Win Over Buffalo Bills, Playoff Bye On The Line

The New England Patriots are on the verge of continuing their historic streak of dominance within the division. The defending Super Bowl champs are just one victory from winning an 11th straight AFC East title.

New England is a game ahead of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The two rivals will meet Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Anything but a win for the Bills results in a division championship for the Patriots.

Even if Buffalo pulls off the upset in Week 16, they’ll be long shots to win the division. New England would still own the tiebreaker over the Bills because of their record in common games. Only two more Buffalo victories and two straight New England losses would cause the Patriots to relinquish the AFC East crown.

The Patriots host the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. The Bills play the New York Jets at home in the season finale.

Both New England and Buffalo have already clinched playoff berths. Neither the Patriots nor Bills can finish worse than the AFC’s No.5 seed.

The division title isn’t the only thing at stake for New England. The final two weeks of the 2019 NFL regular season will determine if they get a first-round bye.

With an 11-3 record, the Patriots are a game ahead of the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs. The AFC South-leading Houston Texans are two games behind New England. The Baltimore Ravens are a game ahead of New England and in the driver’s seat for the No.1 seed.

All of those teams vying for a bye have beaten the Patriots head to head, giving them the tiebreaker over New England.

A Patriots’ loss would open the door for the Chiefs to slide into the No.2 seed Sunday night when they visit the Chicago Bears. If New England wins Saturday, Kansas City must also win in order to stay in the race for a bye.

Houston can only pass New England if the Texans win out and the Patriots lose out. Baltimore will clinch home-field advantage until the Super Bowl with one more victory.

New England made it to last year’s Super Bowl as the No.2 seed. After beating the Los Angeles Chargers in Foxborough in the divisional round, the Patriots defeated the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the 2019 AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots have won at least 11 games in eight straight seasons. They last failed to secure a top-two seed a decade ago.