In what may be one of the biggest surprises of the early part of the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots are now in first place in the AFC East. And based on a handful of factors, they may have a real chance to take the division title away from the Buffalo Bills.
The Patriots have exceeded early expectations in their first year under Mike Vrabel. The team is 4-2 through their first six games of the season, having won each of their last three games, including a big divisional matchup against Buffalo. They are not only in first place in the AFC East, but in fourth place overall in the conference.
3 Reasons The Patriots Will Beat Out The Bills For Division Crown
The Patriots are back on top of the AFC East đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/UVIDPwl2IP
— PFF (@PFF) October 14, 2025
How long will they remain atop the division? Here are three reasons why the Patriots will finish the year as the surprise AFC East champions:
1. Easiest Remaining Schedule In The NFL
The Patriots have played a relatively soft schedule thus far, and things will get even easier down the stretch. New England has, by far, the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, as their upcoming opponents have a combined winning percentage of just .308. Their next two games will come against the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns (combined 2-10), and still have contests to play against the Jets, Dolphins, and Bengals.
Conversely, the Bills have the 8th easiest remaining schedule. Buffalo is sitting at 4-2 after playing the NFL’s softest schedule through the first six games.
2. Tiebreaker Over The Bills
The Week 5 win over Buffalo could prove to be key down the stretch of the regular season. Though both teams have identical 4-2 records at the moment, it is the Patriots who currently have the upper hand with the tiebreaker.
The two sides will face off one more time this season, but things are working in New England’s favor for that contest, as well. That mid-December game will be played at Gillette Stadium, and the Patriots will be coming off of a bye week, giving them two weeks to prepare for what is the biggest game remaining on their schedule.
3. Potential For An Upgrade At Wide Receiver
As well as the team is performing in recent weeks, there is a chance the roster improves even further. There are rumors that the team would like to upgrade at the wide receiver position, and have a few weeks to do so before the November 4th trade deadline. Could the team bring in someone like AJ Brown to pair with Stefon Diggs and give Drake Maye another weapon at his disposal?
