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Patriots standings: How beating the Dolphins impacts division race, AFC playoff picture

The New England Patriots extended their winning streak against AFC East rivals to five games by defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-19 on Sunday, securing their third victory of the season within the division. This result keeps New England in the mix for the division title, where they trail the Buffalo Bills by 1.5 games despite holding the head-to-head tiebreaker from their Week 4 encounter.

The Bills, who improved to 6-1 with a 36-10 rout of the Baltimore Ravens, now occupy the number one seed in the AFC, a position they gained after the Kansas City Chiefs lost in Denver. Meanwhile, the New York Jets fell to 2-6 with a 38-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Dolphins remain at the bottom of the conference standings at 1-6.

In the broader playoff picture, the Patriots have climbed back into the top seven seeds with a 5-1 conference record, overtaking the Cleveland Browns, who dropped to the eighth spot following the Pittsburgh Steelers' rise to the top of the AFC North. The Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars also hold strong positions at 6-2 and 5-2 respectively, while the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs sit at 5-2.

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