For a second straight week, the winner of Thursday Night Football claims the No. 1 seed in the AFC heading into the weekend.
Behind three total touchdowns from running back TreVeyon Henderson, the Patriots rolled to a 27–14 win over the Jets at Gillette Stadium. Drake Maye starred in the win, throwing for 281 yards and a touchdown, with 105 of those yards going to his favorite receiver Stefon Diggs.
The win improved New England to 9–2—good for the best record in the NFL. After the win, the Patriots jumped the Colts (8–2) and Broncos (8–2) in the standings and currently sit as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
According to NFL.com, the Patriots now have a 98% chance to make the playoffs. It would be the team’s first playoff appearance since 2021, the year rookie quarterback Mac Jones led New England to a 10–7 record.
As for the Jets? Better luck next year. New York falls to 2–8 with the loss and now heads into the weekend with the second-worst record in the AFC.
Following the Patriots’ win Thursday night, here's how the NFL playoff picture looks heading into the weekend (Note: all playoff odds are provided by NFL.com):
SEED TEAM PLAYOFF %
1 Patriots (9–2) 98%
2 Colts (8–2) 92%
3 Broncos (8–2) 91%
4 Steelers (5–4) 40%
5 Chargers (7–3) 79%
6 Bills (6–3) 90%
7 Jaguars (5–4) 39%
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8 Chiefs (5–4) 73%
9 Texans (4–5) 27%
10 Ravens (4–5) 68%
11 Bengals (3–6) 2%
12 Dolphins (3–7) 1%
13 Raiders (2–7) 1%
14 Browns (2–7) 1%
15 Jets (2–8) 1%
16 Titans (1–8) 1%
SEED TEAM PLAYOFF %
1 Eagles (7–2) 99%
2 Seahawks (7–2) 93%
3 Lions (6–3) 88%
4 Buccaneers (6–3) 92%
5 Rams (7–2) 96%
6 Bears (6–3) 41%
7 Packers (5–3–1) 71%
--- --- ---
8 49ers (6–4) 77%
9 Panthers (5–5) 12%
10 Vikings (4–5) 15%
11 Cowboys (3–5–1) 5%
12 Cardinals (3–6) 2%
13 Falcons (3–6) 8%
14 Commanders (3–7) 1%
15 Saints (2–8) 1%
16 Giants (2–8) 1%
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