Bills Bump Patriots Back To Second Place In AFC East With Blowout Win Over Saints On Thanksgiving
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots' new reign atop the AFC East lasted all of four days.
With a 31-6 blowout victory in New Orleans on Thanksgiving night, the Buffalo Bills reclaimed their spot atop the division, after losing that distinction last weekend.
Both the Bills and Patriots are now 7-4. The tiebreaker at play to determine the division leader is each team's record against divisional opponents; the Bills are 3-0 in divisional games, while the Patriots are 2-1.
The Patriots are currently in the top wild-card spot, the fifth seed in the AFC. If the season were to end today, the Bills would host the Bengals and the Patriots would visit the Chiefs in the wild-card round.
Of course, the standings in Week 12 don't ultimately mean much. The Patriots and Bills will square off twice in head-to-head matchups over a four-week span: on Monday Night Football in Buffalo in Week 13, and on Week 16 in Foxboro, the day after Christmas Day.
In the meantime, the Patriots can reclaim their spot atop the division if they beat the Titans on Sunday. They could vault themselves to the top seed in the conference if they beat the Titans and if the Ravens lose to the Browns.
As for the top spot in the AFC East, it seems as though the temporary crown may exchange hands several times between now and Week 18. The ball is now in the Patriots' court to make sure that happens.