FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Unlike some of their recent AFC East titles, the New England Patriots earned this one the hard way.
Quarterback Tom Brady and the offense came to life with a fourth-quarter comeback on Saturday, and the defense stiffened on a final drive, to help the Patriots defeat the resilient Buffalo Bills 24-17 and clinch their 11th straight AFC East championship.
The Patriots trailed 17-13 entering the fourth quarter, which marked the first time they were behind at home through three quarters against a division rival since the 2016 season.
They scored the game’s final 11 points, sparked by Brady, running back Rex Burkhead and the return of receiver Julian Edelman, who had left the game in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Burkhead’s 1-yard touchdown run with 5:06 remaining, followed by Brady connecting with Edelman on a 2-point conversion, put the Patriots ahead for good.
The crowd at Gillette Stadium serenaded the quarterback with chants of “Brady! Brady! Brady!” in what was an electric atmosphere.
Soon, those chants turned to “Let’s go defense! Let’s go defense!” as the Patriots held off a late charge by the Bills, who drove from their own 25-yard line to the Patriots’ 15 before they were stopped on a final foruth-and-15 play in the end zone.
Brady, who finished 26-of-33 for 271 yards and one touchdown, improved to 32-3 all-time against the Bills. He completed 79% of his passes, his best completion percentage since Week 11 of the 2017 season. Brady hadn’t reached 56% in his previous five games.
Meanwhile, the Patriots improve to 12-3 and maintained their position as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If they beat the Miami Dolphins at home next week, they would earn a first-round playoff bye.
The Patriots have won 12 games 12 times since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and the franchise tied San Francisco for the most 12-win seasons over that span.