2. New England Patriots (LW: 2)
Few things in life are guarantees. Fewer exist in football. Perhaps the one exception is the New England Patriots. In December. After a loss. Surprising absolutely no one, the Patriots rebounded from their Week 13 defeat in Lambeau Field with a clutch road victory in San Diego. The Patriots keep pace with — in fact, due to a tiebreaker, ahead of — the Denver Broncos, and hold the fate of AFC’s home field advantage in their hands. With three division games remaining in their final three contests, the Patriots could clinch the AFC East as early as this week, and their eventual first-round bye appears to be equally a foregone conclusion.
