Patriots are AFC East Champs After a Victory in Denver

The New England Patriots are the AFC East Champions for the eighth consecutive season and also secure a first-round bye in the postseason after trampling over the Denver Broncos 16-3.

Running back LeGarrette Blount gave Denver a piece of some Blount force trauma as he scored the only touchdown of the afternoon. He extended his total to 15 setting a new single-season record previously held by Curtis Martin. Image result for legarrette blount broncos

With a record of 12-2, they still remain the first seed for the playoffs. After the Oakland Raiders won a close one over the San Diego Chargers, 19-16, their record stands as 11-3. If both teams win their remaining games in the regular season, the Patriots will come out ending with a record of 14-2 which could clinch a home-field advantage as well.

Moving Forward:

No game or opponent is easy unless it’s the Cleveland Browns. New England’s remaining opponents are familiar as they’re both in the AFC East: New York Jets (4-10) and the Miami Dolphins (9-5). The Patriots have beaten both earlier in the season, but it’s still not safe to secure wins against them just yet.

The Patriots were in a similar predicament before last season where all they had to do was beat the Jets and Dolphins to clinch home-field advantage. New England ended up eventually losing to Denver in Mile High for the AFC Championship.

A huge difference this tear however is the Broncos may not make the playoffs this year. To have a shot, the Broncos needed to win this game and their remaining two in their division. With the loss this afternoon, Denver went from a seventh seed to a ninth seed behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Tennessee Titans.

Newly acquired wide receiver Michael Floyd didn’t play against Denver this week. The Arizona Cardinals released him after a recent DUI. Hopefully, his presence will be shown when facing the Jets in Foxborough. New England can only become more dangerous if Brady has another big play threat.

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Diamond Holton
TENNIS BEAT WRITER
Diamond learned the essence of journalism attending PGCC and lastly Salisbury University...GO SEA GULLS! Her experience began in college writing for The Owl Newspaper at PGCC and The Flyer at Salisbury where she was able to cover Division III collegiate sports. She's even written for a local newspaper in the Delmarva region, The Salisbury Star. Diamond loves Serena Williams, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Wizards, and her beloved New England Patriots.