The New England Patriots got an early and somewhat unexpected Christmas gift late last night when the Denver Broncos lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 37-28. The Denver loss secured the number one overall seed in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the Patriots.

The Patriots who sit at 12-3 are now alone atop the conference and will have a stress free week in their final week of the season.

While their last game of the year, against the Buffalo Bills, is no longer an imperative must win game, it would be unlike the Patriots for them to not play to win. It will be interesting to see how long the starters stay in for Bill Belichick.

The team already clinched a first round bye this past Sunday with their one point win over the New York Jets. They'll now have the comfort of knowing they'll be at home through the entirety of their playoff run.

Getting home field advantage is a big deal because now every team has to come into Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots have not lost all year, and try to knock off one of football's top teams. The Pats are safely locked in to the driver seat and now have no excuses for anything short of another Super Bowl appearance.

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