Patriots playoff picture: How loss to Bears impacts AFC standings

The New England Patriots came up short on Thursday Night Football, losing 30-24 to the Chicago Bears. Besides putting an end to the team’s three-game winning streak, the defeat also impacts its standing in the AFC playoff picture.

With the majority of Week 7 games left to be played, the Patriots now find themselves out of the postseason slots.

1. Buffalo Bills (5-1)

2. New England Patriots (4-2)
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3. New York Jets (2-4)

4. Miami Dolphins (0-5)

The Patriots remain in second place in their division even after losing to the Bears, and would have stayed put regardless of what the weekend slate would have brought. The Bills, after all, are on a bye, meaning New England would not have overtaken them even in case of a win. That said, what was a one-game deficit entering Thursday is now a 1.5-game gap that needs to be overcome.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)

2. Buffalo Bills (5-1)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)

4. Cleveland Browns (4-2)

5. Denver Broncos (4-2)

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)

7. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

On the bubble: 8. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2), 9. New England Patriots (4-3), 10. Las Vegas Raiders (3-3), 11. New York Jets (2-4), 12. Indianapolis Colts (2-4), 13. Houston Texans (2-4), 14. Tennessee Titans (1-5)

Not yet eliminated, but let’s be real here: 15. Miami Dolphins (0-5), 16. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6)

As mentioned earlier, the Patriots are currently out of the playoff picture. In fact, they made a sizable drop from the fifth to the ninth position in the standings. They will overtake at least one other team again, however, given that the Ravens and Bengals are going against each other on Sunday.

To reenter the playoff spots before the end of Week 7, however, New England will need other games to go in its favor as well.