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What Sunday’s win means to Patriots’ chase for division title, AFC top seed
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- What Sunday’s win means to Patriots’ chase for division title, AFC top seed
The Patriots’ come-from-behind win over Baltimore sewed up a playoff berth and kept their hopes alive to earn the AFC’s top seed and with it a first-round bye.
Now they can focus on winning the AFC East and finishing with the highest seed possible.
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AFC East race
At 12-3, the Patriots stayed a game ahead of the Bills in the race to win the division.
The Patriots’ magic number to win the division is 2. Any combination of Patriots wins and Bills losses that adds up to two clinches the AFC.
The Bills finish:
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Dec. 28 vs. Philadelphia
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Jan. 4/5 vs. NY Jets
The Patriots play:
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Dec. 28 at NY Jets
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Jan. 4/5 vs. Miami
If the Patriots go 0-2 and the Bills go 1-1:Buffalo would win based on applicable tiebreakers. Which tiebreaker would be used would depend on which of their two games the Bills won, but either way, they’d come out ahead.
If the Patriots got 1-1 and the Bills go 2-0:
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The Patriots would win if the Bills beat the Eagles and lost to the Jets.
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The Bills would win if they beat the Jets and lost to the Eagles.
AFC Seeding
At 12-3, the Patriots pulled back into a tie with Denver for the best record in the AFC (and the NFL) and stayed a game ahead of Jacksonville , which is 11-4.
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Denver currently holds the tie-breakers over the Patriots, but they have a tougher remaining schedule.
Denver’s remaining schedule is:
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Dec. 25 at Kansas City
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Jan. 4 vs LA Chargers
Playoff Picture
AFC
Top Seed with bye: Denver Broncos * (12-3)
First round matchups:
No. 2 New England Patriots * (12-3) vs. No. 7 Houston Texans (10-5)
No. 3 Jacksonville (11-4) vs. No. 6 Buffalo Bills (11-4)
No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
NFC
Top Seed with bye: Seattle Seahawks * (12-3)
First round matchups:
No. 2 Chicago Bears * (11-4) vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) vs. No. 6 San Francisco (10-4) - The 49ers face the Colts on Monday
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No. 4 Carolina Panthers (8-7) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
∗Clinched playoff berth
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