Patriots clinch first AFC East title since 2019
The New England Patriots have clinched their first AFC East divisional championship since 2019, in their first year under Mike Vrabel.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 13: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots speaks with head coach Mike Vrabel prior to a game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesWhen Mike Vrabel held his introductory press conference as the head coach of the New England Patriots, one of his main stated goals was to win the AFC East division title and host home playoff games. On Sunday, Vrabel's squad checked that box in Year 1.
That started with the Patriots taking care of their own business. They went into MetLife Stadium and took it to the New York Jets with a 42-10 win. That improved their record to 13-3, and clinched the third unbeaten road slate in franchise history and first since 2016.
However, that wasn't enough to clinch the division this week. In order to prevent it from coming down to Week 18, the Patriots also needed the Buffalo Bills to lose to the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
They'd get that help. That game kicked off about half an hour after Patriots-Jets ended. It was a low-scoring thriller that saw the Eagles get up 13-0 at half, then have their offense stall out as the defense tried to hold off Buffalo. The Bills executed a couple of scoring drives late, but they missed a PAT on their touchdown keeping them down seven. The second touchdown, with 0:05 to go, could have forced overtime but the Bills elected to go for two, with Josh Allen's pass falling incomplete.
With that Bills loss, the Patriots have their first division title since 2019 - Tom Brady's final year in New England. It's their 23rd all-time division title, eight more than the Bills who are the next-closest thing.
Because the Patriots are division champs, they're locked into a top three seed and will host at least one game in the NFL Playoffs. Exactly what seed they end up with will come down to next week.
They're currently tied with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the AFC, but Denver has the tiebreaker. To get the No. 1 seed, the Patriots would need a win over the Miami Dolphins and Broncos loss to the Los Angeles Chargers next week. They're also one game up on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the head-to-head tiebreaker and play the Tennessee Titans next week.
