Patriots Idle in Week 14 With Paths to Top Seed and Early Division Clinch in Play
A Bengals victory in Buffalo positions New England to clinch the AFC East in next week's home game.
Overview
- New England is on its Week 14 bye with the Panthers, Giants and 49ers, returning Dec. 14 to host the Bills.
- The Patriots enter the weekend reported at 11-2 as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, making other results pivotal to seeding.
- Las Vegas upsetting Denver would help preserve New England’s hold on the conference’s best record.
- Cincinnati beating Buffalo would set up a Week 15 division-clinching scenario for the Patriots against the Bills.
- Fan guides highlight secondary priorities such as pulling for Indianapolis over Jacksonville and Houston over Kansas City, with some NFC outcomes viewed through draft-position considerations.