Where Patriots stand in AFC after loss to Bills – NBC Boston

16 Views

Sunday afternoon’s Week 15 showdown against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium might have been a hat and T-shirt sport for the New England Patriots.

However sadly for the house crew, no hats or T-shirts got out postgame.

Regardless of main 21-0 within the first quarter, 24-7 at halftime and 31-28 within the fourth quarter, the Patriots lost 35-31 to the Bills on Sunday. Josh Allen and the Payments offense scored a landing on 5 consecutive drives at one level, they usually outscored the Patriots 28-7 within the second half.

The Patriots nonetheless have the within observe towards successful the division crown, however the margin for error over the Payments has tightened.

Aside from the Patriots, every crew that entered Week 15 in an AFC playoff spot and performed Sunday gained its sport. The Steelers host the Dolphins on Monday Evening Soccer.

The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs misplaced 16-13 at dwelling to the Chargers, and that consequence knocked the three-time defending AFC champs out of the playoff race. The final time KC missed the playoffs was 2014. Making issues worse for the Chiefs, quarterback Patrick Mahomes left the sport within the fourth quarter with what later was revealed to be a torn ACL.

How does this loss affect the Patriots within the AFC playoff image? Take a look at our full breakdown beneath:

Present AFC Standings

The Broncos gained sole possession of the No. 1 spot within the AFC standings after their win over the Packers and the Patriots’ loss to the Payments. The Jaguars additionally gained on Sunday, establishing for an intriguing Week 16 showdown between them and Denver.

Denver Broncos (12-2, AFC West chief)
New England Patriots (11-3, AFC East chief)
Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, AFC South chief)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, AFC North chief)
Los Angeles Chargers (10-4. First wild card)
Buffalo Payments (10-4, Second wild card)
Houston Texans (9-5, Third wild card)
Indianapolis Colts (8-6)
Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
Miami Dolphins (6-7)

Race for the No. 1 seed

The Broncos’ win and the Patriots’ loss considerably boosted Denver’s odds of incomes the highest seed and the one playoff bye. Denver additionally has the sting within the first tiebreaker, which is win share towards widespread opponents. New England’s Week 1 defeat to the Raiders is the explanation Denver holds this tiebreaker.

Here is a take a look at the remaining schedules for New England and Denver:

Patriots: at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins
Broncos: vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

The Broncos have the more durable remaining schedule. They nonetheless need to play the Jaguars, who’re preventing for the AFC South title and have gained 5 straight video games. The sport towards the Chiefs may very well be a simple one with Mahomes out. After which the finale versus the Chargers may very well be essential for each groups if the AFC West title is at stake.

The Patriots have two video games left towards groups preventing for a wild card spot. The Baltimore Ravens might additionally nonetheless win the AFC North, and the Dolphins are surprisingly within the playoff combine after a 1-6 begin to the season.

It is also attainable the Dolphins might don’t have anything to play for in Week 18. They beautiful a lot have to win out to have an actual probability at securing a playoff berth.

Race for AFC East

After failing to say the division title on Sunday, the Patriots nonetheless management their very own future within the AFC East race. If the Patriots win out, they are going to be division champions.

If the Patriots and Payments end the season with the identical document, the primary tiebreaker is head-to-head. However since they break up the season sequence, the subsequent tiebreaker is document in division video games. The Patriots presently have the sting there with a 3-1 document within the division, whereas the Payments are 3-2. New England has two extra division opponents left on its schedule, whereas Buffalo has one.

The third tiebreaker is win-lost-tied share in widespread video games and the fourth tiebreaker is greatest win-loss-tied share in convention video games.