Patriots can clinch AFC East with win and help on Sunday
Looking at the AFC East clinching scenarios for the New England Patriots ahead of the Week 17 slate of games.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots speaks with Drake Maye #10 during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesTwo weeks after losing a 'hat and t-shirt game' to the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots have another chance to clinch the AFC East this weekend. However, they'll need some help to do so. According to the NFL's recently-released updated clinching scenarios, the Patriots need two things to happen to clinch their first AFC East title since 2019 this Sunday.
The first - and most obvious - is taking care of business in their game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. If the Patriots do win that game, then all attention turns to Orchard Park, New York where the Bills host the Philadelphia Eagles. That game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET, so Patriots fans will be able to tune in after their team plays in the 1:00 window.
(If the Bills lose or tie against the Eagles, the Patriots would be AFC East champions. A Patriots tie and a Bills loss would also clinch the division).
This is the second meeting of the year between the Patriots and Jets. In the first matchup on Thursday Night Football in Week 11, the Patriots won 27-14. The Jets are 1-4 since that game and are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Eagles-Bills is one of the biggest games of Week 17. Both teams were viewed as Super Bowl favorites before the season (the Eagles are the defending champions) but have had up-and-down moments over the course of the year. The Eagles have already clinched their division title at 10-5, but this game is monumentally important for playoff seeding on both sides.
As long as the Patriots win though, they'll still have the inside track on the AFC East even if they don't get the help they need from the Eagles. Wins over the Jets and then the Miami Dolphins next week would clinch the division for the Patriots, not matter what the Bills do over the final two games.
There's also the Patriots' continued chase of the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. They enter the week in the second spot behind the Denver Broncos, who have already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Denver plays at a banged-up Chiefs team on Thursday night. The Broncos then close the season by hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Patriots need a win to at least keep the shot at the No. 1 seed open in Week 18, assuming Denver wins on Thursday night.
