How Beating The Jets Impacts Patriots’ Playoff And Afc East Outlook

The New England Patriots took care of business against the New York Jets in Week 17, dominating their division rivals in a 42-10 blowout. The lopsided victory was their 13th of the year, the most in a single season for the team since 2017.

More importantly, though, it also has an impact on their standing in the AFC East and the AFC as a whole. With that said, let’s find out what it means for Mike Vrabel’s team.

AFC East standings

1. New England Patriots (13-3)
2. Buffalo Bills* (11-4)
3. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
4. New York Jets (3-13)

The Patriots cruising to an easy victory means that all eyes are on the Bills now. Should they come up short in their 4:25 p.m. ET game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the AFC East crown would officially return to Foxborough for the first time since 2019.

But even if the Bills win, the Patriots would still head into the final week of the regular season in an advantageous position. Up one game in that scenario, they would only need a home win over the Dolphins next weekend to secure the division title and a home playoff game.

AFC playoff standings

1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
2. New England Patriots (13-3)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars* (11-4)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
5. Buffalo Bills* (11-4)
6. Houston Texans (11-5)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)

On the bubble: 9. Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

Eliminated: 8. Indianapolis Colts* (8-7), 10. Miami Dolphins (7-9), 11. Cincinnati Bengals (6-10), 11. Kansas City Chiefs (6-10), 13. Cleveland Browns (4-12), 14. Tennessee Titans* (3-12), 15. New York Jets (3-13). 16. Las Vegas Raiders* (2-13)

The Patriots improving to 13-3 keeps the chance of the first-round playoff bye alive. For that to happen, though, they would need the Broncos to lose their regular season finale against the Chargers next week. Unfortunately from a New England perspective, L.A. has relatively little to play for: with their 20-16 loss to the Texans on Saturday, the Chargers are no longer in competition for the AFC West title. They could slightly improve their spot in the playoff picture and play spoilers to a division rival, but the stakes are not as high as they could have been.

Elsewhere in the division, the race for the AFC North title continues. With the Steelers losing to the Browns 13-6 on Sunday, the Ravens still have a chance to sneak into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed next week. It’s win-and-you’re-in time in that division.