Over the last five years, at this point in the season, the AFC East had been long locked up by the Bills, primarily due to the complete lack of competition in the division after Tom Brady's departure. The Patriots are a team that wanted to change that this year and did the work to make it happen, leading them to a 13-3 record after a blowout win over the Jets on Sunday.
That kept them in line to win the division title for the first time since 2019, only waiting on how the Bills fared against the Eagles in the late window.
It was expected to be a difficult task to take down the reigning Super Bowl champions, and Buffalo proved unable to do that, falling to the Eagles 13-12. Fortunately for the Patriots, that means they have officially won the AFC East, sending Buffalo home even more sad than they already were.
BACK AT THE TOP! pic.twitter.com/gxmyr1ywTd
— x - New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 29, 2025
The Bills' loss means the Patriots win the AFC East for the 2025 season and now they have a new focus
From the beginning of his tenure earlier this year, Mike Vrabel made it clear the Patriots' ultimate goal for the 2025 season was to win the division. Based on the predictions made by analysts and fans leading into Week 1, that didn't seem possible, but they defied the odds and went on a 10-game win streak to put them atop the AFC.
Although they split the season with Buffalo with a Week 15 collapse we'd like to forget, the Patriots took down the Ravens and the Jets on the road in back-to-back games, tying the Broncos for the best record in the NFL, and now, winning their division.
Now the focus shifts to the Dolphins at home next week, who have looked improved since they decided to bench QB Tua Tagovailoa. That might make it a bit trickier to end the season with a win, but this team has proven they can handle the pressure and get the job done.
They're still in contention to go into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, as that will be finalized based on how the Broncos come out of their Week 18 matchup with the Chargers. If they lose and the Patriots win at home, they move into that spot.
If both teams win, or the Patriots lose, they'll remain at No. 2, which isn't a bad place to be, either.
No matter what, they've accomplished far more than anyone imagined they would this year, and winning the division is the surest sign of that.