The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets, 42-10, earlier today. With Buffalo’s 13-12 loss to Philadelphia, the Patriots are officially 2025 AFC East Champions.
It’s a hat-and-t-shirt day for the New England Patriots after all.
Coming into the weekend, New England had to beat the New York Jets and see the Buffalo Bills fall to the Philadelphia Eagles to be crowned AFC East Champions.
Check and check.
New England made their game in New Jersey a “no-contest” early on, running up a 35-3 halftime score before ultimately winning, 42-10.
Drake Maye was spectacular yet again, completing 19-of-21 passes (90.5%) for 256 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers in two-and-a-half quarters of play.
Stefon Diggs also enjoyed a notable first half, hauling in six receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown before the break.
The win moved the Patriots to 13-3 on the season, and marked the eighth time in franchise history they’ve won 13 games. At 8-0 on the road, the Patriots completed the regular season unblemished for just the third time in franchise history (2007, 2016).
The Eagles entered Highmark Stadium and outlasted the Bills, 13-12. Philadelphia did all of their scoring in the first half, and survived a last-minute comeback attempt by Josh Allen and the Bills to secure the victory.
Allen scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak from the one-yard-line with five seconds remaining to trim the deficit to one point, but Buffalo elected to go for two following the score. On the two-point attempt for the win, Allen missed the throw to an open Khalil Shakir on the back-line of the end zone — and the Eagles squeaked out the win.
The Patriots now prepare to host the 7-9 Miami Dolphins, who defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon by a score of 20-17.
Next weekend’s games mark the end of the regular season, and going into it, New England is still alive for the first overall seed in the AFC.
A New England win plus a Denver Broncos loss against the Los Angeles Chargers would clinch the one-seed for the Patriots in Week 18.
Winning on Sunday is half the battle for the first seed, but a Pats win locks them into at least the two-seed regardless of other results around the league.
With a loss, the Patriots could fall as far as the third-seed in the AFC. To do so, they would need to lose to the Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars would need to beat the Tennessee Titans.
Lots will still be determined as far as playoff seeding goes, but we know one thing for sure: the New England Patriots will be hosting a home playoff game in January of 2026.
From 13 losses to 13 wins… it’s been quite a ride (so far).