The New England Patriots couldn't have asked to be in a better position during their bye week as they sit atop the AFC East standings with an 11-2 record. With a two-game lead in hand over the Buffalo Bills, Mike Vrabel's bunch controls its own destiny in the division as well as for the top seed in the conference.
Regardless of how the Denver Broncos, the second seed in the AFC entering Week 14, finish from here on out, as long as New England takes care of business, they should be in a prime position for the No. 1 seed in the conference and the first-round bye that comes with it. The Patriots have three games left against divisional opponents. If they run the table in those games, starting in Week 15 against the Bills, they will own the tiebreaker over the Broncos, given their undefeated record within the division.
This is why former Patriots star Stephon Gilmore publicly flirting with the idea of joining Buffalo's roster for the stretch run is something that fans in New England should have on their radar.
Gilmore Entertains Idea of Joining Bills After Fan's Social Media Inquiry
The Bills have all sorts of issues in the secondary right now. After claiming Darius Slay off waivers, only to have the veteran refuse to show up, Buffalo was forced to pivot to another option in Darnell Savage. Despite that, Bills fans are still hoping that Gilmore would be willing to return to the team that drafted him, should the front office make the call.
Now, the Patriots don't have the same type of needs in the secondary with Carlton Davis III, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones in the fold. With that being said, preventing Gilmore from joining one of their primary rivals before the postseason by pursuing him themselves might not be the worst idea. With Alex Austin and Marcellas Dial Jr. on the IR, Gilmore could be a nice depth piece used specifically on passing downs.
One way or another, preventing Gilmore from joining their AFC rival would be the ideal scenario. In reality, there is only so much the Patriots can do to influence that. Given their standing in the AFC East, doing whatever they can to make life more difficult on Buffalo over the next four weeks will only put more pressure on Josh Allen and company. This starts in Week 15 with, hopefully, a season sweep over the Bills, whether Gilmore is on Buffalo's roster or not.