New England Patriots fall back into last in AFC East

The New England Patriots were, unfortunately, the only team to lose in the AFC East in week 12. Their loss now puts them at 6-5 and at last place.  Just when the Patriots appeared to be making up some ground, they fall back into last place.

The team overall is not having a bad season.  Mac Jones is beginning to feel himself and the defense has kept them in most games.  Unfortunately, week 12 was not kind to them.  Both the Patriots and the Bills played on Thanksgiving, and the Bills won a thriller against the Lions.

The Patriots were in the late game window on Thanksgiving and lost a fun game to the Vikings.  Both the Jets and Dolphins were in action today, and both won convincingly.  The Dolphins played the Texans, jumped out to a massive lead, and ended up winning 30-15.

The Jets played the Justin Fields-less Bears and won by multiple touchdowns.  Both teams had easy matchups in week 12, if we’re being honest, and they took advantage of them.  The Dolphins and Bills are both 8-3.  Miami currently has the tiebreaker.

The Jets are now 7-4 and have jumped ahead of the Patriots in the standings.  The Patriots are 6-5 but have won both games against the Jets this year.  If New England could find a way to finish with the same record as the Jets, they’d have a chance to jump ahead of them and jump into a playoff spot.

The Patriots play the Bills this coming Thursday in what is now the most important game of the season for the Patriots.  If they could beat the Bills, they would only be one game behind them and would further complicate the AFC East standings.

With the seven team playoff now being a thing in the NFL, an entire division can make the postseason.  Even if New England were to finish last place, they could still clinch a playoff spot, so not all is lost if they do, and given how talented this division is, there is no shame in finishing in last place in my opinion.