The New England Patriots picked up seven turnovers en route to a 34-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, clinching the AFC East title and the top seed in the AFC playoffs in the process.
With that top seed will come a first round bye, and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The game started with a surprising drive from the Bills, picking up a field goal after punishing the Patriots’ run defense. From there, it was all New England. A strong running attack picked up an at-times shaky passing game hurt by Wes Welker’s uncharacteristic drops and the occasional inaccurate pass from Tom Brady, while the opportunistic defense picked up four interceptions and three fumbles.
There were big games from BenJarvus Green-Ellis (19 carries, 104 yards), Danny Woodhead (13 carries, 93 yards), and Rob Gronkowski (4 receptions, 54 yards, 2 touchdowns). Jerod Mayo also came up big, laying some big hits on Bills receivers to break up passes and knock balls loose.
The Patriots have one more game next week against the Miami Dolphins, but their 13 wins are enough to give them every possible advantage going into the postseason.
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