The Patriots had some anxious moments late, but when the dust cleared, New England had a clear path to the AFC East Division title and are still in the race for the top seed in the conference.

Sunday’s win left the Patriots at 8-2, while the Bills’ stunning loss to the Dolphins dropped Buffalo to 6-3.

That means the Patriots not only own the tie-breaker from having beaten the Bills head-to-head earlier, but they have a one-game lead in the loss column.

The Bills have already had their bye this season, while New England’s is next month.

The teams play each other on Dec. 14 at Gillette Stadium, which is now almost a must-win for the Bills. On top of that Buffalo has a much tougher remaining schedule.

The Buccaneers, Steelers, Patriots and Eagles all have winning records.

Buffalo is the only Patriots opponent win a winning record and most of the others aren’t close.

The Patriots are tied with the Colts and Broncos at 8-2 for the No. 1 record in the AFC.

After a bye, the Colts are at Kansas City on Nov. 23. They still have two games with the playoff contending Jaguars, a road game at Seattle (6-2) and a home game against the 49ers (6-3).

The Colts’ full schedule is:

The Broncos play the Chiefs twice and face the Jaguars, Chargers and Packers.