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Where the Patriots were and how they celebrated when they learned they’d won the AFC East
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- Where the Patriots were and how they celebrated when they learned they’d won the AFC East
The Patriots were almost home when Bills quarterback Josh Allen lined up under center for the game’s final play, a two-point conversion attempt that had plenty riding on it. Their convoy of buses and equipment trucks had just pulled off I-95 to 495 in Mansfield, just a few miles from Foxborough.
By beating the Jets on Sunday in New Jersey, New England could clinch the division with a Bills loss.
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If Buffalo scored, they would have improved to 12-4, keeping them alive in he race for their sixth straight AFC East title and even the conference’s No. 1 seed and first-round bye.
If they failed, the Patriots would clinch the division and at least one playoff home game, leaving the Bills as a wild card.
So on the way back from the airport, they gathered around cell phones on the dark bus and held their breaths, eagerly waiting.
When Allen’s passes sailed harmlessly out of the back of the end zone, the players hooted in celebration. They were AFC East champs.
When they arrived at Gillette Stadium, tables were set out. White hats and blue T-shirts, both in unusually large sizes that fit the big men receiving them and the size of their accomplishment, were set out for them as they departed the bus.
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The message on the front of the shirts read “Been there, WON that.”
Team personnel herded the players and coaches into an open area for a team picture.
Vrabel addressed his team and reminded them of goals they set in the spring:
“On April 7, we said three things. Win the division. Host home playoff games. Compete for championships,” he said. “So we got the first one taken care of. This season is far from being over.”
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