NFL Playoff Picture: Patriots are AFC's new No. 1 seed after Ravens lose originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots' position in the NFL playoff race improved Sunday and they didn't even play.
The Patriots are the new No. 1 seed in the AFC after the previous top seed, the Baltimore Ravens, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. The Ravens and Patriots both have identical 8-4 records, but New England has the tiebreaker because of a strong record in conference games (6-1 over 5-4).
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Even if the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, they won't leapfrog the Patriots because New England also has the conference record tiebreaker over Kansas City.
Curran: Why Jones excelling on rookie deal is disaster for Bills, rest of NFL
The Patriots need to beat the Buffalo Bills on the road Monday night to remain the No. 1 seed entering their Week 14 bye. A loss would not only knock the Patriots out of the top spot in the conference, it also would drop them to the No. 5 seed as the second-place team in the AFC East.
NBC Sports
Patriots Talk Podcast: Has Buffalo's window of AFC East dominance already closed? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Another team to keep an eye on is the Miami Dolphins. They beat the New York Giants on Sunday for their fifth straight win, the second-longest active win streak behind the Patriots.
Here's an updated look at the AFC playoff picture after the Week 13 games. This story will be updated through Monday night's game.
In a Playoff Spot
1. New England Patriots, 8-4 (AFC East leader)
2. Tennessee Titans, 8-4 (AFC South leader)
3. Baltimore Ravens, 8-4 (AFC North leader)
4. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-4 (AFC West leader)
5. Buffalo Bills, 7-4 (First wild card)
6. Los Angeles Chargers, 7-5 (Second wild card)
7. Cincinnati Bengals, 7-5 (Third wild card)
On the Bubble
8. Denver Broncos, 6-5
9. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5-5-1
10. Indianapolis Colts, 7-6
11. Las Vegas Raiders, 6-6
12. Cleveland Browns, 6-6
13. Miami Dolphins, 6-7
