New England Patriots Win AFC East Title

PITTSBURGH, PA — It came down to the final play, but the New England Patriots are once again the best team in the AFC East and are in the inside lane for the top seed in the AFC Playoffs.

The Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. With the win, the Patriots are now at the top of the conference for the 19th time overall and ninth time in a row. The team holds the tiebreaker over the Steelers if the two teams end the season with the same record.

The Patriots are now 11-3 with two games remaining in the season. New England can clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs by winning their last two games of the season.

Much will be made of the final moments of the game, which saw the Patriots take the lead and nearly lose it. Dion Lewis gave the Patriots the lead with an eight-yard touchdown yard with about a minute to play. A fade pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski on a two-point conversion gave New England a three-point lead.

TB12 & @DionLewisRB. & @RobGronkowski.@Patriots TD + 2 pt conversion + the LEAD. #NEvsPIT pic.twitter.com/YetInYTCN7
— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2017

Like the Patriots, the Steelers are no strangers to comebacks and almost had their fifth in six games. Juju Smith Schuster improbably turned a crossing route into a run down to the Patriots' 10-yard line with 34 seconds to play. It almost appeared as if the Steelers won when an open Jesse James dove into the end zone. A review of the play reversed the call and two plays later, the ball was intercepted in the end zone by Duron Harmon.

The Patriots return home for a Christmas Eve match against the Buffalo Bills.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Don Wright