The playoffs have transformed from a long shot to a highly probable endgame for the New England Patriots.

New England improved to 7-2 after Sunday’s 24-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots maintain a half-game lead over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East and are tied with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos for the conference’s No. 1 seed.

Patriots fans will love one projection model’s assessment of the NFL postseason picture. The Athletic gives the Patriots a 97 percent chance of making the playoffs, the highest probability of any team.

Although the Bills are second with a 95 percent playoff probability, The Athletic favors the Pats with a 60 percent chance of capturing their first division title since 2019. New England also has the NFL’s highest probability of earnin

See Full Page