The New England Patriots continue their place at the top of the AFC

By Sebastian Ospina

Starting off another lost season under the leadership of Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots began their string of wins after an overtime loss to Dallas. Currently riding a seven-game winning streak that has them at 9-4, their defense has become incredibly effective, with their offense starting to turn a corner.
The Patriots went into their Week 14 bye as the No. 1 seed in the conference and have continued to hold that standing as the slate extends. The Titans and Chiefs were able to earn wins to draw even at 9-4 on the season, but New England’s excellent conference record gives them the tiebreaker to hang onto the top billing in the conference.
The Patriots are 7-1 in the conference with four conference games to go. No other team in the AFC has less than three losses within the conference, which gives New England a nice cushion. The Chiefs, Ravens and Bengals are the three teams to focus on as the Patriots already own head-to-head tiebreakers against the Titans (No. 2 seed), Chargers (No. 5 seed), and Browns (No. 8 seed).
Baltimore (5-5) and Kansas City (4-4) are .500 within the conference, while the Bengals — who just lost to the 49ers in Week 14 — are 5-3.
Four games away, the Patriots have the Colts, the Bills. The Jaguars, and the Dolphins to face before victory.
The Patriots and Colts game starts at 8:20 p.m. on Saturday.