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          New England Patriots

          Looking closer at playoff scenarios

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterDec 19, 2011, 02:30 PM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          It was almost a perfect Sunday when it came to the Patriots and AFC playoff positioning. They took care of business in Denver to improve to 11-3, and then ...

          1. The Texans lost at home to the Panthers, dropping to 10-4.

          2. The Ravens lost on the road to the Chargers, falling to 10-4.

          3. The Jets lost on the road to the Eagles, falling to 8-6.

          So where does this leave the AFC playoff picture? ESPN.com's "Playoff Machine" lays it all out and allows you to pick results of games over the final two weeks to see how that would alter potential seeding.

          Right now, the Patriots are where they want to be -- No. 1.

          That could change based on Monday night's game between the Steelers (10-3) and host 49ers (10-3), which makes the ESPN "Monday Night Football" tilt an important one from a New England perspective.