The New England Patriots area headed to the postseason for the first time since 2021. Thanks to some help this weekend, there's still a chance they can do so as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Patriots clinched a playoff spot Sunday night when they engineered a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Baltimore Ravens. As a result, New England is now within reach of bigger accomplishments as well.

If the Patriots win their final two games against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, they will be AFC East champions regardless of what happens around the league. They can clinch the division title as soon as Sunday with a win and a Buffalo Bills loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Beyond that, there is one other issue still to be decided. If the Patriots take care of business in their final two games, they still have a chance at the No. 1 seed in the AFC, thus earning the first round bye that would come with it.

New England is tied with the Broncos for the top spot heading into Week 17, thanks to Denver's loss on Sunday to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The bad news for the Patriots is that if both teams finish with the same record, the Broncos have already clinched the tiebreaker thanks to their win percentage in common games.

So how could the Patriots end up No. 1? Assuming they win out, New England would need the Broncos to lose one more game.

Denver plays the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew to torn ACLs in the span of a week, on Christmas Day.

Then in Week 18, the Broncos play the Chargers. If Denver were to lose that game, and the Patriots wrapped up the season with wins over the Jets and Dolphins, New England would be the top seed with a record of 14-3.