The New England Patriots improved to 8-0 Sunday with a 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns to maintain their status as the lone unbeaten team in the AFC entering Week 9.
Speaking of Week 9, the game of the week will be on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" when the Patriots travel on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens, who had a Week 8 bye and still sit atop the AFC North division.
The idle Ravens dropped to the No. 3 seed in the AFC after the Indianapolis Colts earned a comeback win Sunday over the Denver Broncos. Veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as time expired lifted the Colts to a 5-2 record. Indy holds the tiebreaker over Baltimore based on best win percentage in conference games.
The Chiefs fell from the No. 2 sed to the No. 4 spot after losing to the Green Bay Packers without injured quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City still occupies first place in the AFC West.
The Buffalo Bills could have dealt a huge blow to the Philadelphia Eagles' playoff hopes but they lost 31-13 at home. Buffalo remains in the first AFC wild card spot, however. The Houston Texans held on to the second wild-card spot in the conference as a result of their 27-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
The Browns' loss to the Patriots is a huge blow to Cleveland's playoff chances. Cleveland is now 2-5, but the hardest part of its schedule is over. The Browns could still challenge for a wild card spot, but they probably would have to go 9-0 or 8-1 the rest of the way to have a chance.
Here's an updated look at the AFC playoff picture after Sunday's Week 8 games.
New England Patriots
1. New England Patriots, 8-0 (AFC East leader)
2. Indianapolis Colts, 5-2 (AFC South leader)
3. Baltimore Ravens, 5-2 (AFC North leader)
4. Kansas City Chiefs, 5-3 (AFC West leader)
5. Buffalo Bills, 5-2 (First Wild Card)
6. Houston Texans, 5-3 (Second Wild Card)
In the Hunt
7. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4-4
8. Tennessee Titans, 4-4
9. Oakland Raiders, 3-4
10. San Diego Chargers, 3-5
Odell Beckham Jr. has high praise for Patriots after Sunday's game>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.