MAGIC NUMBER
Only days after counting down the Red Sox' magic number, it's time to start assessing the New England Patriots'.
With the Patriots already winning three more games than the rest of the AFC East combined, New England could clinch its struggling division quicker than any team has since the NFL switched to the 16-game schedule in 1978.
Two teams, the 1985 Chicago Bears and 1997 San Francisco 49ers, share the mark. The Bears clinched their division on Nov. 17 and the 49ers on Nov. 16, both after 11 games.
So before the Patriots can even challenge the 1972 Dolphins –- and speculation already has begun that they will -– New England is first going to have to chase down the '85 Bears and '97 49ers.
The way New England's schedule sets up, however, and the way the rest of the division is playing, it's conceivable that the Patriots could wrap up the AFC East after their 10th game, which would come Nov. 18 at Buffalo.
The Patriots' bye week is in the 10th week of the season, directly following their game Nov. 4 at Indianapolis in a matchup already teeming with playoff implications.
