Patriots team photo after winning AFC East will have fans hyped

They’re back. The New England Patriots are once again on top of the AFC East. After winning this week against the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pats have secured the division and at least one home game in the playoffs. After missing the playoffs since 2021, they’re back and ready to take the league by storm again.

After clinching the division, the Patriots commemorated the occasion by giving out hats and t-shirts for every member of the team.

HATS & T-SHIRTS pic.twitter.com/bBUdcH1ya5

— z – New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 29, 2025

This division title marks the first time that the Patriots have won the AFC East since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. Since the departure of the star quarterback, the Pats have made it back to the postseason once as a Wild Card round. They’ve missed the playoffs every other year, including last season, where they went 4-13.

The Patriots fired then-head coach Jerod Mayo after that season, bringing in former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Under Vrabel, the Patriots are on the verge of flipping their previous record on their head. Behind the breakout of quarterback Drake Maye and a hard-nosed defense, New England breezed through their competition en route to the best record in the AFC.

Aside from the division title, the Patriots have a chance to win a first-round bye with the first seed. A win over the Miami Dolphins next week and a loss by the Denver Broncos (the current first seed) to the Los Angeles Chargers gives New England a bye to the Divisional Round. Should they win that, it would be a massive accomplishment for a team that was down in the dumps last season.

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