The Buffalo Bills entered the season as heavy favorites in the AFC East, but through six games, their status as the division's top power is under siege.
Buffalo's second consecutive loss Monday night turned the tables in the AFC East, putting the New England Patriots in first place for the first time since deep into the 2021 season when a Mac Jones-led team briefly ascended to the AFC's No. 1 seed before slipping to a wild-card spot.
The Bills battled defensive woes early on against the Atlanta Falcons, one week after losing to Drake Maye and the Patriots at home, but it was their offense that could never fully get going for the second consecutive week.
Here's an updated look at the AFC East standings with a new leader.
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AFC East standings
| Place | Team | Record |
| 1 | Patriots | 4-2 |
| 2 | Bills | 4-2 |
| 3 | Dolphins | 1-5 |
| 4 | Jets | 0-6 |
To say it's a two-team race in the AFC East would be an understatement.
The Miami Dolphins (1-5) and New York Jets (0-6) are both far removed from AFC East contention and playoff contention, leaving the Patriots and Bills fighting for the top spot. New England and Buffalo both share a 4-2 record, but the Patriots hold the head-to-head tiebreaker at least for the moment because of their victory over the Bills.
The Bills won't panic. Why do we know that? They trailed the Dolphins for the vast majority of the 2023 season, only to overtake Miami in the final game of the regular season. Buffalo is not proud of back-to-back losses, but with 11 games remaining and another matchup with New England on the docket, it's going to take much more than a virtual tie to intimidate Sean McDermott's team.
The Patriots, however, have a fairly light schedule going forward, as eight of their last 11 opponents have a losing record through six weeks. New England has a chance to stack wins, and its only remaining matchup with the Bills is at home in Foxborough.
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Patriots remaining schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time (ET) | TV Channel |
| 7 | Sunday, Oct. 19 | at Titans | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 8 | Sunday, Oct. 26 | vs. Browns | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 2 | vs. Falcons | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 9 | at Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 11 | Thursday, Nov. 13 | vs. Jets (TNF) | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 12 | Sunday, Nov. 23 | at Bengals | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 13 | Monday, Dec. 1 | vs. Giants (MNF) | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 7 | BYE | — | — |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 14 | vs. Bills | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 16 | Sunday, Dec. 21 | at Ravens | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 17 | Sunday, Dec. 28 | at Jets | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 18 | TBD | vs. Dolphins | TBD | TBD |
The Patriots won't face the Bills again until Week 15, but they face a pair of one-win teams in the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns in the weeks ahead as they try to sustain or even add to their division lead.
Only three teams remaining on the Patriots' schedule have a winning record: the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bills.
Bills remaining schedule
| Week | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| 7 | BYE | — | — | — |
| 8 | Oct. 26 | at Panthers | 1 p.m. | Fox, Fubo |
| 9 | Nov. 2 | vs. Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 10 | Nov. 9 | at Dolphins | 1 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 11 | Nov. 16 | vs. Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 12 | Nov. 20 | at Texans | 8:15 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video |
| 13 | Nov. 30 | at Steelers | 4:25 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 14 | Dec. 7 | vs. Bengals | 4:25 p.m. | Fox, Fubo |
| 15 | Dec. 14 | at Patriots | 1 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 16 | Dec. 21 | at Browns | 1 p.m. | CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ |
| 17 | Dec. 28 | vs. Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | Fox, Fubo |
| 18 | TBD | vs. Jets | TBD | TBD |
The Bills will spend their bye trying to get healthy and figure things out on both sides of the ball. Buffalo returns from its bye with a road matchup against the surging Carolina Panthers before a marquee game against the Kansas City Chiefs at home.