Strange Sunday: Bills' Loss Is Patriots' Gain

Despite its early-season troubles, New England only trails Buffalo by one game headed down the stretch.

Don't look now, but the Buffalo Bills aren't invincible.

And the New England Patriots aren't dead.

In fact, if the NFL season ended today the Pats would be in the AFC playoffs as the third Wild Card.

After another wild, unpredictable Sunday in the NFL, no team in the AFC has more than seven wins and every team in the AFC East has a pulse. The Patriots, who watched from their couch during their Bye, remain in last place in their division at 5-4. But thanks to the Bills' improbable loss to the Minnesota Vikings, New England only trails the preseason Super Bowl favorites (6-3) by one game heading into Week 11.

The Kansas City Chiefs lead the AFC at 7-2, followed by the East-leading Miami Dolphins at 7-3. In their final eight games, the Patriots plays the New York Jets, Dolphins and Bills (twice).

For a team that started 1-3 and played without starting quarterback Mac Jones for three weeks, it's a quite startling position.

New England, which hosts the Jets Nov. 20 at Gillette Stadium, got help from Buffalo's loss in which the Bills blew a 27-10 lead at home and fumbled a routine snap on a quarterback sneak to give up a late touchdown. The 49ers' win over the Chargers Sunday night also benefitted the Pats, as L.A. fell to 5-4 in the Wild Card chase.

Its playoff positioning, however, was not improved by the Dolphins walloping the Browns or the Chiefs beating the Jaguars.

Helped by the return of Jones and a stifling defense led by Matthew Judon, the Pats have gone 4-1 in their last five to at least keep themselves in the AFC playoff conversation despite playing in football's strongest division. The AFC East is the only division in football in which every team has a winning record.

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