​Patriots Hold Surprising AFC East Advantage Despite Trailing Bills In Standings originally appeared on NESN.
Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The New England Patriots are not leading the AFC East, but they have quietly established an advantage that could become significant later in the season.New England enters Week 9 with a 5-3 record, trailing the Buffalo Bills at 6-1. But the Patriots are undefeated in division games.New England has won all three of its AFC East contests, while Buffalo is 0-1 within the division. That distinction could become important if the teams finish with similar records.New England Has Handled Its Division BusinessThe Patriots have defeated Buffalo, the New York Jets and Miami during the opening eight weeks. Their win over the Bills came in Week 4, when New England won 29-26 in Buffalo.The Patriots’ road record against AFC East opponents since 2013: vs. Jets: 10-3 vs. Bills: 10-4 vs. Dolphins: 3-10 Miami has consistently been New England’s toughest divisional road matchup. #PhinsUp https://t.co/VwoWucVT3S— Dolphins Muse (@DolphinsMuse) November 1, 2026The Patriots followed with a 26-19 victory over the Jets and a 24-19 win against Miami on Sunday. Those results have helped New England remain within striking distance of the division lead.The Bills still hold the better overall record and have won three consecutive games. But New England’s head-to-head victory gives the Patriots an important early advantage if the standings tighten.Buffalo Still Controls The RaceThe Bills have won six of their first seven games. Their offense has produced 233 points, compared with 184 for New England. Buffalo also has a stronger point differential, entering the week at plus-52 compared with New England’s plus-22.Those numbers demonstrate why the Bills remain the division favorite.But the standings also show that New England has become a legitimate challenger. The Patriots have won four of their last five games and improved to 5-1 against AFC opponents. That conference record could become important in potential playoff tiebreaker scenarios.MORE: Patriots Trade Idea Lands Eagles Super Bowl Champion for Very Cheap PriceThe Schedule Will Test New EnglandThe Patriots host Green Bay on Sunday before traveling to Germany to face Detroit. Those games will test New England against quality opponents outside the division.Meanwhile, Buffalo still has several AFC East games remaining, including meetings with the Jets and Dolphins. New England cannot depend exclusively on its early divisional success.The Patriots must continue winning games while maintaining their advantage in head-to-head competition. But the current standings contain an encouraging detail.Buffalo leads the AFC East. New England, however, has already demonstrated that it can beat the division leader. That makes the remaining race considerably more interesting than the overall records alone suggest.More PatriotsLatest Patriots newsTom Brady’s Patr