Oct 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; The New England Patriots react during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Patriots Claim First Place in AFC East

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jennifer Streeter | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 12:18 AM ET

There's a new team sitting atop the AFC East with the end of Week 6, and it's the New England Patriots. The Buffalo Bills handed the Patriots the top spot after losing 24-14 to the Atlanta Falcons in their Monday night bout at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both New England and the Bills have a 4-2 records, but the Pats and new head coach Mike Vrabel take the tiebreaker given the recent 23-20 victory over the Bills at Orchard Park just a week ago.

Vrabel said while the team enjoys the wins they have recently accomplished, there know that there's still more work to be done.

“We will never not enjoy and embrace winning in this league,” Vrabel said after Sunday’s 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. “But I do think that guys are very aware of the fact that it can be better and that it will have to be better the more that we go along here and play ... So I think that that’s a good sign that they know that there are some plays that we left out there that we could have played better. But to do that on the road and be able to end it with the ball offensively in victory formation is fun.”

The last time the Pats had a hold on first place was late Nov., 2021 after starting out 2-4, the Patriots ripped off seven straight wins from before hitting their bye week.

Flashing back to the present — the current Patriots have won three straight with wins over Carolina, Buffalo and New Orleans. The Bills meanwhile, who started out 4-0, have now lost two straight. The Pats current record is also the best start after the first six games since starting with a 6-0 record back in 2019. The Patriots also improved to a 3-0 record on the road.

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 has a chance to further build momentum and stack wins, as eight of their last 11 opponents have a losing record through six weeks.

The Patriots are the only team in 2025 that has not surrendered 50 yards to a running back through the first six games in 2025 — which is also the first time this has occurred in program history.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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