What Patriots' win vs. Ravens means for No. 1 seed, AFC East

The New England Patriots picked up their 12th victory of the 2025 season on Sunday night, defeating the Baltimore Ravens on the road.

It was an incredibly physical contest in Baltimore between the AFC squads, but Mike Vrabel's squad got the job done. New England has won 11 of their last 12 games, with the lone loss coming to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.

Sunday night's win improved the Patriots' record to 12-3 and gave them some cushion in the AFC East.

AFC East standings

1. New England Patriots (12-3)

2. Buffalo Bills (11-4)

3. Miami Dolphins (6-9)

4. New York Jets (3-12)

New England has a one-game lead over Buffalo in the division, and still controls its destiny in the AFC East. The Patriots and Bills split in the regular season, but New England possesses the better division record, which is the second tiebreaker.

If New England wins out, they'll be AFC East champions. However, if they want to snatch back the No.1 seed, they'll need some help.

AFC playoff picture

The Patriots officially clinched a playoff berth with their win over the Ravens, but they are still the No.2 seed in the AFC, though the road to the top seed is clear.

New England will need to win out and hope for another Denver Broncos' loss. The Patriots will finish the campaign with a road game versus the New York Jets and a home contest versus the Miami Dolphins.

Denver will square off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day in Week 17 and wrap up the season versus the Los Angeles Chargers.