New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots officially reclaimed their spot atop the AFC East on Sunday.
New England took care of business during the early slate by absolutely throttling the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Buffalo Bills then did their part during the late window, dropping an absolute heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen orchestrated back-to-back touchdown drives that should have helped his club snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, though kicker Michael Badgley missed an extra-point that forced a two-point conversion try with just second remaining in regulation — which failed.
It’s enough to mathematically crown a new division champion, as the Patriots can finish no worse than 13-4 and the Bills can finish no better than 12-5.
The Patriots find themselves back atop the division after a five-year layoff, which came after they’d won 17 division crowns from 2001-2019 — dropping just two during that stretch (2002 and 2008). New England has more division titles (23) than any other team in the AFC East.
It’ll remain to be seen who will be the visiting team, but we will officially see playoff football return to Gillette Stadium…
