Things didn’t look good for the New England Patriots when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. They fell to the number three seed after the loss.
Things changed for the better on Sunday for the Patriots. It all started when the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-20. It got even better for the Patriots when the Denver Broncos fell to the Oakland Raiders 15-12 late Sunday afternoon.
That set things up, so the Patriots just had to take care of their own business on Sunday night to take hold of the number one seed in the AFC again.
The Patriots did just that, as the defense allowed only 189 total yards and recorded six sacks in a 27-6 victory over the Houston Texans. Rob Gronkowski returned to the field and made an immediate impact. He caught a long pass from Tom Brady on the Patriots first drive. He finished with 87 yards receiving and one touchdown.
Brady threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 22-30 passing. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 53 yards on 10 carries before leaving the game with an injury. Brandon Bolden finished with 51 yards on 16 carries.
The Patriots clinched a playoff spot with the win. They can clinch the division title with a Dolphins loss (due to strength of schedule tiebreaker) on Monday night. The Patriots will take their 11-2 record into their home finale next Sunday afternoon at 1 PM.
