We've already provided a complete look at the NFL playoff picture this morning, but you likely (hopefully) don't concern yourself too much with the NFC West, so let's focus on the Patriots and their playoff scenarios.
It's pretty simple, really:
Patriots win the AFC East and clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC (and with it a first-round bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs) with a win or a Jets loss in Week 16
The Patriots are at the Bills in Week 16, a team New England hasn't lost to since Week 1 of the 2003 season, while the Jets are at the 9-4 Chicago Bears. New York can clinch a Wild Card spot with a win or a tie against the Bears, or a Colts loss/tie, a Jaguars loss/tie or both a Chiefs loss and Chargers win/tie.
For fun, let's look ahead a bit more.
If the playoffs started today, the Patriots would obviously be the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye. In the Divisional Round, they'd host the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens or Jets, depending how the Wild Card round played out. Just a few familiar faces there, no?
Playing with Yahoo!'s NFL Playoff Scenario Generator (and using Winning percentage), the AFC playoffs would look like this:
Wild-Card Round:
No. 6 Jets at No. 3 Chiefs
No. 5 Ravens at No. 4 ColtsDivisional Round:
Chiefs/Colts/Ravens at No. 2 Steelers
Colts/Ravens/Jets at No. 1 Patriots