At 6-3 the New England Patriots have had a bit of an uneven season, but all of their losses have come against teams that were playing well at the time. Considering that and the situation in the AFC East right now, I expect Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and company to cruise to yet another division title this season.
The Patriots smacked the New York Jets 37-16 last week after losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers (25-17) and New York Giants (24-20). That win over the Jets was big for New England as it put the squad in sole possession of first place in the AFC East. A win tonight over the Kansas City Chiefs will give the Pats a 7-3 record and put them two full games ahead of the Jets and Bills, who are both 5-5 after Week 11.
The Patriots also have a favorable schedule for the rest of the season. They travel to Philadelphia (4-6) next week, then get Indianapolis (0-10) at home, before going on the road to face Washington (3-7) and Denver (5-5) in consecutive weeks. After that they wrap up the season with back-to-back home games against Miami (3-7) and Buffalo (5-5).
That is a very easy schedule over the last six weeks of the year, as they don't face a team with a winning record. New England could conceivably win out and grab home-field throughout the playoffs.
Even if they do drop a game somewhere in there, it's really hard for me to think the Patriots won't win the AFC East. The Bills have fallen off a cliff, and the Jets have struggled so badly on offense that I don't see them turning things around enough to bounce back and pass New England.
All those factors have me expecting Belichick and Brady to bring home yet another AFC East title this year.
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