Coming off a blowout loss and going up against an unbeaten division rival on the road, the New England Patriots celebrated a big win in Week 4. Playing their most complete game of the season, especially on the offensive side of the ball, they beat the Buffalo Bills 29-26 to, in the words of their head coach, get “back in the race.”
Let’s find out what the victory means for Mike Vrabel’s team.
AFC East standings
- Buffalo Bills (3-1)
- New England Patriots (2-2)
- New York Jets (1-3)
- Miami Dolphins (0-4)
Just like last year, the AFC East is shaping up to be a two-class society. The Bills remain on top despite
losing to the Patriots, but what could have been a decisive win for them decreased their lead to just one game with New England now holding the ever-important head-to-head tiebreaker.
Behind the two playoff aspirants, the Jets and Dolphins are reeling. The former dropped their third straight game after starting the season with a win, while the latter have an argument as the worst team in football right now: not only is Miami 0-4 under new head coach Jeff Hafley, their -55 scoring differential ranks 32nd in the NFL.
AFC playoff standings
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
- Buffalo Bills (3-1)
- Cleveland Browns (3-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-1)
- New England Patriots (2-2)
On the bubble: 8. Denver Broncos (2-2), 9. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2), 10. Indianapolis Colts (2-2), 11. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2), 12. New York Jets (1-3), 13. Miami Dolphins (0-4), 14. Los Angeles Chargers (0-4), 15. Tennessee Titans (0-4), 16. Houston Texans (0-4)
Their win over the Bills propelled the Patriots’ back into the playoff picture as the current No. 7 seed and the best-ranked of the 2-2 teams. Why? Because their wins over Pittsburgh and Buffalo gives them a 2-1 conference record, best among their peers at .500.
New England will be in a position to add to it this week. Hosting the Raiders at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, they can get to a winning record for the first time all season and further put the pressure on the Bills and the rest of the AFC. And, yes, we know Las Vegas started 3-0 before a close loss to the Chiefs, but those victories came against the winless Dolphins, winless Chargers, and one-win New Orleans Saints.
