Patriots Beat Bills To Win AFC East, Regain Control Of AFC No. 2 Seed

FOXBORO, Mass. — Sunday couldn’t have gone much better for the New England Patriots.

(Other than some rough play from their 41-year-old quarterback, that is.)

The Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 24-12 at Gillette Stadium to win their 10th consecutive AFC East title. It was a rather uninspiring game, one that saw an underwhelming performance from Tom Brady — 13-for-24 for 126 yards and a touchdown to go along with two interceptions — and receiver Cordarrelle Patterson leave with a knee injury.

But hey, a win is a win

Equally important, however, is the current AFC playoff picture.

New England entered Week 16 trailing the Houston Texans by one game for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. But the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Texans 32-30 on Sunday, meaning the Patriots are back in control of the second seed and in line to earn a first-round bye.

The Patriots will wrap up their regular season next Sunday when they host the New York Jets, while the Texans will host the Jacksonville Jaguars.

New England holds the tiebreaker over Houston, thanks to its Week 1 victory over Bill O’Brien and Co., so a win over the Jets will secure a first-round bye for the Pats.

With the Texans losing, the Kansas City Chiefs now can clinch the AFC’s top seed with a win Sunday night over the Seattle Seahawks.