New England Patriots

Patriots in good shape, but playoff scenarios still complicated

One win, or one Miami loss, will give Bill Belichick and the Patriots the AFC East title for the eighth straight year. Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe

By The Boston Globe

Less than a minute to read

Once again, the final weeks of December represent little more than an exercise in determining playoff seeding for the Patriots. With three weeks to go, the Patriots own a commanding three-game advantage over the Dolphins in the AFC East, needing just one more win (or one more Miami loss) to clinch their eighth straight division title.

Of course, the absurdly high bar for judging New England’s success isn’t whether they win the AFC East. The regular-season goal in front of the Patriots remains fairly clear: Top seed.

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