Their early-season slump firmly in the rear-view mirror, the New England Patriots have started stacking wins. The latest came on Sunday against the New York Jets, a 26-19 victory that improved the team’s record to 4-2 on the year and created some cushion between itself and its rivals.
It also helped New England manifest its position in the standings. Let’s take a look.
AFC East standings
- Buffalo Bills (5-1)
- New England Patriots (4-2)
- New York Jets (2-4)
- Miami Dolphins (0-5)
The Bills didn’t quite blow the doors off the Raiders like the Patriots did the previous week, but their 33-30 victory was nonetheless enough to keep them in first place in the AFC East. The Patriots are only one game behind, though, because they currently are in possession of the ever-important head-to-head advantage.
They won’t be able to use it to take the division lead this week, though. Even if the Patriots beat the Bears on Thursday night, the Bills will stay ahead while on their bye.
The Dolphins will be coming off of theirs this week, and try to get their first win of the season against the Jets. Needless to say, a New York loss would be a major blow to the team’s already faint hopes of making noise in the division and the conference as a whole this year.
AFC playoff standings
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
- Buffalo Bills (5-1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
- Cleveland Browns (4-2)
- New England Patriots (4-2)
- Denver Broncos (4-2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
On the bubble: 8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2), 9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2), 10. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3), 11. New York Jets (2-4), 12. Indianapolis Colts (2-4), 13. Houston Texans (2-4), 14. Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Not yet eliminated, but let’s be real here: 15. Miami Dolphins (0-5), 16. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)
The Ravens and Jaguars losing their respective games to the Browns and Texans shook up the playoff standings in the AFC. While the Chiefs remain on top while on their own bye, the Bills jumped from fourth to second. Jacksonville fell just one spot, while Baltimore dropped all the way down to eighth.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are still the top-ranked among the non-division-leading 4-2 teams. Their 4-1 record in conference games gives them an advantage, they hold the head-to-head edge over the Steelers, and they additionally have the highest strength of victory among all teams in the AFC right now.