The New England Patriots appeared well on the way to convincingly claiming their first AFC East title since 2019. They were literally snatching the crown from the Buffalo Bills -- and then the five-time reigning division champions turned it up several notches.
New England drew first blood in their second head-to-head clash of the season, storming out to a 21-0 lead early in the opening half. Nevertheless, the Bills weathered the storm and ultimately got the last laugh.
Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen led the charge as the Bills fought back to pull out a 35-31 victory in Foxborough. He put the squad on his back when they needed him most. Conversely, Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye didn't meet the intensity (and the moment).
There's no sugarcoating it: Maye and the Patriots squandered a massive opportunity. The ramifications of their collapse against the Bills is reflected in the latest conference standings.
Updated AFC playoff picture after Patriots' disastrous meltdown loss to Bills
- Denver Broncos (12-2, first in AFC West)
- New England Patriots (11-3, first in AFC East)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, first in AFC South)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6, first in AFC North)
- Los Angeles Chargers (10-4, second in AFC West)
- Buffalo Bills (10-4, second in AFC East)
- Houston Texans (9-5, second in AFC South)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-6, third in AFC South)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-7, second in AFC North)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7, third in AFC East)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-8, third in AFC West)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-10, third in AFC North)
- New York Jets (3-11, fourth in AFC East)
- Cleveland Browns (3-11, fourth in AFC North)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-12, fourth in AFC West)
- Tennessee Titans (2-12, fourth in AFC South)
Not only is the AFC East suddenly still in play for the Bills. The No. 1 seed is, too. It wasn't pretty, yet they pried open a path to home-field advantage and a bye as the Patriots saw those perks slip through their fingers.
Per The Athletic's Playoff Simulator ($), the Bills have a 24 percent chance of surpassing the Pats. In other words, New England is still in the driver's seat. However, Buffalo's odds are much higher than the zero chance they would've had if they lost in Week 15.