Make that eight wins in a row for the Drake Maye-led New England Patriots. The burgeoning second-year quarterback bolstered his MVP campaign with another strong showing in the team's 27-14 Thursday Night Football win over the New York Jets.
Maye's been at the forefront of a Patriots squad that has already exceeded its preseason expected win total. He's been nothing short of spectacular for a club that looks like one of the NFL's true-blue Super Bowl LX contenders. His efforts have been instrumental to New England holding the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a spot they may not relinquish.
However, the Patriots won't claim first place in the conference without a fight. The Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are breathing down their necks, but they aren't the only ones. With that in mind, let's see where New England stands following their massive primetime victory against the Jets.
Updated AFC playoff picture after Patriots' TNF win vs. Jets
- New England Patriots (9-2, first in AFC East)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-2, first in AFC South)
- Denver Broncos (8-2, first in AFC West)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4, first in AFC North)
- Los Angeles Chargers (7-3, second in AFC West)
- Buffalo Bills (6-3, second in AFC East)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4, second in AFC South)
- Kansas City Chiefs (5-4, third in AFC West)
- Houston Texans (4-5, third in AFC South)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-5, second in AFC North)
- Cincinnati Bengals (3-6, third in AFC North)
- Miami Dolphins (3-7, third in AFC East)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-7, fourth in AFC West)
- Cleveland Browns (2-7, fourth in AFC North)
- New York Jets (2-8, fourth in AFC East)
With no head-to-head matchups with the Broncos or Colts on the schedule, the Patriots must continue stacking stones. New England must keep pace with Denver and Indianapolis, who have shown minimal signs of slowing down. Maye and Co. can't afford to slip up now if they want home-field advantage on their potential path to a championship.
The Patriots are set to host the Bills in Week 15, which could have huge ramifications on the postseason picture. However, New England can't overlook inferior opponents like the ones they're slated to face in their next two contests: the Bengals and New York Giants.
There appears to be a clear hierarchy forming; it's the Pats, Colts and Broncos, then everyone else. That includes perennial powerhouses like the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and New England's division rival Buffalo Bills. Who would've thought?