At the start of the regular season, penciling in the New England Patriots as a threat to win the AFC East seemed to be an afterthought for many reasons.
The biggest ones? The Buffalo Bills have owned the division since 2020 and are in Super Bowl or bust mode this season. The Patriots had a second-year quarterback, a new-to-them head coach, and a roster chalked full of preseason questions.
Well, that's why they play the games. Entering Week 9, the 6-2 Patriots had a half-game division lead on the 5-2 Bills, whose odds to win the AFC East are at 58 percent to New England's 42 percent.