Patriots enjoy the gift of a perfect weekend of results around the NFL

The New England Patriots not only won their game against Buffalo and clinched the division; they also enjoyed an ideal weekend of results around the NFL.

The Patriots’ official Twitter feed might have summed up the collective sentiments around New England best when they posted this image and caption online Sunday afternoon:

Yes, it was a strange – but perfect – weekend for the Patriots.

Despite Tom Brady completing just over half his passes and finishing with more picks than touchdowns, the team won by double-digits.

It’s strange to see a New England offense whose strength is playing smash-mouth, run-it-down-your-throat football, as opposed to having Brady slice and dice defenses with his arm. But that just may the ticket to postseason success this season, and the team would be foolish to get away from what’s working with Sony Michel, James White, and the rest of the rushing attack grinding out tough yards.

Heading into the weekend, we identified a number of scenarios that deserved fans’ rooting interest around the NFL in a multitude of different games.

And as fate or luck would have it, Saint Nick (Foles) wasn’t the only one bringing Pats fans gifts over the holiday weekend.

First, the Baltimore Ravens went into L.A. and upset the Chargers.

Next, the Miami Dolphins lost at home to the Jaguars, guaranteeing the Patriots their 10th consecutive division title.

Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles delivered the biggest and best gift of the weekend by ousting the Houston Texans out of the No. 2 spot in the AFC hierarchy and paving the way for the Patriots to claim it outright with a win on Sunday at home against the Jets.

The New Orleans Saints beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in thrilling fashion, forcing the Steelers to the brink of postseason elimination just a week after they were celebrating their statement win of the season (the victory over New England).

And in Sunday’s nightcap, Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, and the Seattle Seahawks took down the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime.

When the dust settled, New England was not only left with their AFC East championship and an inside-track to a playoff bye; they were also gifted an outside chance at the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. They’ll need to beat the Jets and hope that the Chargers and the Chiefs both lose in Week 17 to get there, which might seem unlikely, but hey – so did all of the above scenarios breaking right for the Patriots.

If everything goes right for New England in the last week of the season like it did this past weekend, the Patriots will have more than just Nick Foles to thank around the NFL.