The New England Patriots are trending in the wrong direction.
The Patriots have lost four straight contests following Sunday's 24-21 defeat to the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills.
The 2-5 Patriots are now 3 1/2 games back of the first-place Bills and two games behind the second-place Miami Dolphins, who earned an impressive Week 8 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
And with the division's Week 8 slate wrapped up, the Patriots have seen quite the downward trend when it comes to their chances to win the AFC East.
The 6-2 Bills currently possess an 84% chance to win the division, followed by the 4-3 Dolphins' probability of 13%. New England has just a 3% chance to win the division they've dominated for the better part of two decades, according to ESPN's football power index, as noted by Mike Reiss.
The Patriots 2-5 record leaves them in quite a hole, and the reality is that with the rest of the AFC playoff race shaping up, New England will likely need to win the division in order to earn a postseason berth.
History certainly isn't in their favor, as referenced by The Athletic's Jeff Howe.
This certainly isn't something Patriots fan are well-accustomed to, and it's going to take a strong effort in the second half to get New England even sniffing a playoff berth.
But hey, at least they aren't the New York Jets.
