In one of the biggest early surprises of the 2025 NFL season, the New England Patriots sit atop the AFC East after six weeks. New England is in first place in its division for the first time since 2019, the last time the franchise captured an AFC East crown.

The Patriots leapfrogged the five-time defending division champion Bills for the top spot in the division following Buffalo's 24-14 loss to the Falcons on Monday night. While both teams have 4-2 records, New England has the tiebreaker over Buffalo by virtue of its 23-20 win over the Bills in Week 5.

While it's new ground for these Patriots, New England owned the AFC East from 2001-19. Over that span, the Patriots won 17 division titles en route to capturing six Super Bowls and nine AFC championships.

Since 2019, however,

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