AFC NOTES FOR USE AS DESIRED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, 11/24/15 CONTACT: JON ZIMMER http://twitter.com/NFL345
PATRIOTS AIM TO CLINCH SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE AFC EAST TITLE
The New England Patriots have reached 10-0 for the second time in franchise history and first time since 2007, when they finished the regular season undefeated and advanced to Super Bowl XLII.
“It feels good to win,” said quarterback TOM BRADY after the Patriots’ 20-13 win against the Bills on Monday Night Football. “It's obviously hard to get to this point (10-0). So, we'll just keep fighting.”
The Patriots are the fourth defending Super Bowl champion to start a season 10-0, joining Green Bay (13-0 in 2011), Denver (13-0 in 1998) and San Francisco (10-0 in 1990).
This weekend, New England can clinch its seventh consecutive division title, which would tie the 1973-79 Los Angeles Rams for the longest streak in NFL history. The Patriots will travel to Denver to face the Broncos in a battle of first-place teams in primetime on Sunday Night Football (8:30 PM ET, NBC).
The Patriots, who also won five consecutive division titles from 2003-2007, are the only team in NFL history to win 11 division championships in a 12-year span.
The teams with the most consecutive division titles:
TEAM SEASONS CONSECUTIVE DIVISION TITLES Los Angeles Rams 1973-79 7 New England Patriots 2009-14 6* Cleveland Browns 1950-55 6 Dallas Cowboys 1966-71 6 Minnesota Vikings 1973-78 6 Pittsburgh Steelers 1974-79 6 *Active streak; can clinch AFC East title in Week 12
Since the NFL instituted the 16-game schedule in 1978, five teams have clinched a division a title after 11 games. Four of those five teams advanced to the Super Bowl, including the 1985 Chicago Bears, who finished the season 15-1 en route to a Super Bowl XX victory.
The teams to clinch a division title after 11 games since 1978:
RECORD AFTER TEAM YEAR 11 GAMES FINAL RECORD PLAYOFF RESULT Chicago Bears 1985 11-0 15-1 Won Super Bowl XX San Francisco 49ers 1997 10-1 13-3 Advanced to NFC Championship Philadelphia Eagles 2004 10-1 13-3 Advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX New England Patriots 2007 11-0 16-0 Advanced to Super Bowl XLII Indianapolis Colts 2009 11-0 14-2 Advanced to Super Bowl XLIV
New England Patriots 2015 10-0* ?? ?? *Through 10 games
Dating back to the 2014 postseason, the Patriots have won 13 consecutive games, the third-longest winning streak in franchise annals.
New England leads the NFL in scoring defense (18.2 points per game) and ranks first in the AFC in scoring offense (32.3 points per game). The Patriots aim to become the first NFL team to lead a conference in both scoring offense and defense in the same season since the 2006 Chicago Bears.
# # #