The Patriots should be running away with the AFC East.
No, really.
They shouldn’t have lost to the awful Dolphins in Week 1. They should have beaten both the Buccaneers and Cowboys at home. If a fortune of two were reversed here and there, New England would be 8-1 heading into Sunday’s home game against the Cleveland Browns.
Instead, the 5-4 Patriots are a half-game behind the Buffalo Bills for the division lead.
You get to decide which scenario is more unlikely.
Fresh off their 24-6 win over the hapless Carolina Panthers, the Patriots have vaulted themselves into NFL playoff discussion with nine weeks remaining in the 2021 season.