FOXBOROUGH Chris Lindstrom Jersey , Mass. (AP) — For nine straight years, the final few weeks of the regular season for the Patriots have included the celebration of an AFC East title and typically an accompanying first-round bye in the playoffs.New England can lock up a 10th consecutive division crown Sunday with a win or tie against Buffalo, or a Miami loss or tie when it hosts Jacksonville. The Patriots would also become the first franchise in NFL history to earn a playoff berth in 10 straight seasons.But they enter the final two weeks of the regular season needing help to avoid playing in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009.Article continues below ...Following back-to-back losses at Miami and Pittsburgh , New England (9-5) began Week 16 on track to be the No. 3 seed in the AFC behind Kansas City (11-3) and Houston (10-4).The Patriots have not been a wild-card team since 2009, when they were blown out by Baltimore. They also failed to make it to the Super Bowl the other two times under coach Bill Belichick (2005 and 2006) that they played during the opening weekend of the postseason. New England has never started the postseason on the road with Belichick the coach and Tom Brady the quarterback.The first step to New England avoiding those fates is by continuing its dominance against the Bills (5-9), a team it has beaten four straight times — including a 25-6 win at Buffalo in October. It was one of the few successes the Patriots had on the road this season, where they’ve gone just 3-5.While they will be at home Sunday and for their regular-season finale on Dec. 30 against the Jets, coach Bill Belichick is not counting it as an advantage.“I think playing well creates an advantage,” he said.New England is as healthy as it’s been all season, but will have to adapt after receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday for violating an agreement that allowed him to play after multiple drug suspensions.Gordon was thriving in New England, where he landed in September in a trade after the Browns felt it was time to cut ties. In 11 starts with the Patriots, he had 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns, five years removed from an All-Pro season in 2013 with 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said Buffalo, which is coming off a close win over Detroit last week, is embracing the role of spoiler.“It’s huge,” Alexander said. “Obviously, they’ve been the standard of our division for the last 15 years, and they’re in the division chase. So for us to go up there and be able to beat them would be huge obviously for this city http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kaleb-mcgary-jersey , for our team and organization. Because they’re a team that’s really had our number since I’ve been here.”Here are some things to watch for in Sunday’s game:WHO STEPS UP?With Gordon out, Brady will be looking for someone to fill his production for the remainder of the season. That will likely mean a lot more will be put on veteran receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski, though both struggled at times this season. Edelman has 63 catches for 711 yards and four touchdowns, while Gronkowski has 45 catches for 658 yards and three TDs.But Gronk was limited again this week by ankle and back issues. And between them, they have just two touchdowns over the past three games.OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTWith rookie quarterback Josh Allen back on the field for four games since missing four with a sprained right elbow, the Bills’ offense is improving despite RB LeSean McCoy’s ongoing struggles.Allen is 57 for 114 for 801 yards, four TDs and four INTs in in his last four starts. Meanwhile, the Bills have topped 100 yards rushing in five straight games, matching last season’s high.McCoy has topped 100 yards just once — 113 yards and two touchdowns — in a 41-10 win at the New York Jets on Nov. 11. Otherwise, with 479 yards rushing, he’s in jeopardy of finishing with the lowest production of his career. He had 637 yards as a rookie in 2009, when he had four starts in 16 games.CHARTING BRADYBrady owns a 29-3 record against Bills. His 29 wins against Buffalo are the most victories by a quarterback against a single opponent. Next is Brady’s 26 wins against Jets.Brady passed for 324 yards in the last meeting with Buffalo and needs 21 to join Peyton Manning (14) and Drew Brees (12) as quarterbacks with 10 seasons of 4,000-plus yards passing. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It seems football fans everywhere are suddenly on the Chiefs‘ bandwagon, enthralled by Kansas City’s record-setting young quarterback and exciting playmakers and hopeful the amiable coach can finally win the big one.Then again, maybe they’re just fans of anybody facing New England.The Patriots have dominated the AFC for nearly two decades, and the coach-quarterback combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will be playing in an eighth consecutive conference title game Sunday night when New England visits the Chiefs at frigid, hostile Arrowhead Stadium.Article continues below ...But whereas Brady& Co. once instilled awe in their opponents, the Chiefs view their showdown as an opportunity for Patrick Mahomes to take the baton as the league’s best quarterback and for Kansas City Kendall Sheffield Jersey , seeking its first Super Bowl appearance in 49 years , to surpass the Patriots as the NFL’s “it” team.“It’ll be huge,” Mahomes said. “When I got here, the goal was to win the AFC championship and get to the Super Bowl, and win that. To do that early in my career, it would be a huge thing.”There aren’t two more dichotomous teams than the Patriots and Chiefs.New England has won five Super Bowls during the Belichick-Brady era, setting all kinds of records along the way. The cruel efficiency with which they’ve sliced up the AFC has made them the bane of fans everywhere but New England and given them the kind of unbeatable aura that accompanied the New York Yankees teams of Derek Jeter and the Chicago Bulls teams of Michael Jordan.It’s not just petty jealousy, though. Many fans have been turned off by Deflategate, Spygate and other instances over the years that have saddled the Patriots with a rather unsavory reputation.Brady has mostly shrugged it off. So has Belichick, who almost seems to embrace the villain role.“I don’t think about it too much, what people might say or think,” said Brady, whose team is a rare playoff underdog Sunday. “I know we’re playing against a very good football team. They’re the first seed for a reason. They’ve had a great season and we’re going to have to go into a really tough environment and play our best football, and it’s a great opportunity for us.”On the flip side are the Chiefs, a team that dominated the AFC throughout the 1990s but reached only one conference title game. They were the league’s worst franchise six years ago, when Andy Reid came aboard , but have become a perennial playoff team that was always missing that certain something.They found it when they drafted Mahomes nearly two years ago .The quarterback shattered just about every franchise passing record in his first season as a starter, and his down-home style has made him a fan favorite. Kids dressed up like him for Halloween, his curly Mohawk has become the trend at local barbershops http://www.falconsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-john-cominsky-jersey , and the aw-shucks way Mahomes has embraced his stunning success has only made him more endearing.“I think he’s a great player on a great team that’s very well-coached,” Belichick said. “They have a great scheme and a great system. He’s got a ton of weapons, so he’ll be tough to handle, as will their entire offense, as will their entire team. We’ll need our best game.”As the Patriots (12-5) try to advance to their third consecutive Super Bowl, something only two other franchises have accomplished, and the Chiefs (13-4) try to make it for the first time since winning the title in 1970, here are some things to know:PERSONNEL CHANGESThe Patriots beat the Chiefs in a 43-40 shootout in Week 6, but both teams are different these days. The Patriots lost wide receiver Josh Gordon to personal issues, and the Chiefs waived Kareem Hunt because of off-the-field trouble. Kansas City also is poised to have linebacker Justin Houston and star safety Eric Berry back from injuries on Sunday.“I mean, that was Week 6. That was a long time ago,” Patriots safety Patrick Chung said. “We can’t really worry about that. They’re a better team and they’re on a roll. It’s the two best teams in the AFC, so you can’t really worry about, ‘Well, we beat you guys last, so we’re going to win.’ If we have that mentality, we’ll get kicked – they’ll kick our ass, pretty much.”STAR POWERBrady and Mahomes get plenty of attention, but they don’t do it alone. Pats running back James White tied Darren Sproles‘ postseason record with 15 catches in their 41-28 divisional victory over the Chargers Qadree Ollison Jersey , while Sony Michel has become a breakout star and Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman remain dangerous downfield threats . The Chiefs counter with running back Damien Williams and the pass-catching trio of All-Pro speedster Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and sure-handed tight end Travis Kelce.ROAD WOE-RRIORSNew England hasn’t lost at home since early last season, but it’s been a struggle away from Gillette Stadium . The Patriots were 3-5 on the road this season, their worst mark since 2009, and lost back-to-back games in Miami and Pittsburgh in December. They haven’t won a postseason game on the road since 2006, and away teams have lost 10 consecutive conference championship games.“I don’t get caught up in all that,” Reid said this week. “They’re a heck of a team. I mentioned that before, if you’re talking about a dynasty in the National Football League, they’re that.”HOME COOKINGThe Chiefs were founded by Lamar Hunt, the namesake of the Lamar Hunt Trophy awarded to the AFC champion. But they will be hosting the AFC title game for the first time after ending a 25-year drought in divisional playoff games last week against Indianapolis. They are 8-1 at home this season with their lone loss coming on a last-second 2-point conversion to the Los Angeles Chargers.“You know it’s going to be a playoff atmosphere there,” Gronkowski said. “I’ve been there in the regular season and it felt like a playoff atmosphere. So I just can’t imagine what it’s going to be like going into a stadium like this.”WEATHER WATCHWhile snow is expected Saturday, the forecast for frigid temperatures Sunday has improved a bit and it could be in the 20s much of the game. There will also be a “super blood wolf moon” later in the night, a rare total lunar eclipse in which the moon turns a rusty shade of red.“There’s not really much you can do with the cold,” Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower said. “I think Trey (Flowers) and Bill said it best, give us a ball and a field and we’ll be there.”
