Mike Vrabel scrapped a season-long tradition following his Patriots’ 26–20 win over the Bengals on Sunday afternoon, one that brought New England to 10–2 and earned them the No. 1 seed in the AFC through 12 weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

Former Patriots stars Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman are hyping up New England, which could become the first 10-win team this season.

The Patriots have a shot at the No. 1 seed, so let’s break down the AFC playoff race, with 10 teams competing for seven spots.

If Mitch McDeere (of John Grisham’s The Firm) were to describe the New England Patriots' Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, he might use his often-

There are three 8-2 teams in the NFL. All of them reside in the AFC. New England, Indianapolis and Denver are locked in a three-way tie atop the conference. While Buffalo (6-3), Kansas City (5-4), Baltimore (4-5), and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) could very well be in the mix for that spot down the stretch, let’s focus on the three at the top.

The New England Patriots have returned to their throne at the top of the AFC East after a hot start to the 2025 NFL season, and ahead of their important divisional meeting with the New York Jets this week the team will don a special jersey for the occasion.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots moved to 10-2 on the season, beating the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium while dealing with a bevy of injuries along the offensive line, including rookie left tackle Will Campbell.