How the Patriots’ disappointing start to 2017 turned into their 14th AFC East title in 15 years

It’s official: For the 14th time in the last 15 seasons, the New England Patriots are the AFC East champions. Tom Brady will once again be headed to the playoffs after his team’s 27-24 win over the Steelers on Sunday.

And what a win it was. The Patriots scored with just over a minute left to take the lead. Then the Steelers, in one play, went all the way down the field on a 69-yard catch and run by JuJu Smith-Schuster, setting them up at the Patriots’ 10-yard line. It looked like the Steelers had it in the bag when Ben Roethlisberger found tight end Jesse James for a touchdown with 28 seconds left, but the catch rule struck again. Official overturned the play on the grounds that James did not have control of the ball. The Patriots defense kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone on the next two plays, finishing them off with an interception on the last one.

It’s impossible to properly gauge how much Brady means to New England. At age 40 he’s once again a prime MVP candidate and one of the league’s top players. While his candidacy may have taken a hit in a rare off night in Miami, the Patriots’ inability to grind out a win against the Dolphins stands as compelling evidence of his value to the team. He’s leading the NFL in passing yards and carried a sterling 27:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio into Sunday.

However, the Patriots wouldn’t be in their rosy position without the redoubled efforts of what once looked like the league’s worst defense. Matt Patricia’s squad gave up 32 points per game in the team’s 2-2 start that raised questions about its championship viability. In the team’s eight-game win streak they allowed 11.9 — the lowest mark in the league over that span.

Sunday’s victory puts the franchise in line to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. If New England can handle its business at home against the Bills and Jets, its 13-3 record would be strong enough to ensure the AFC’s road to Super Bowl 52 runs through Foxborough.

What does this mean for the Patriots: The Patriots extend their division-winning streak to nine in a row, breaking their own NFL record. Their one miss in the past decade and a half was still an 11-win season with Matt Cassel under center. This is all standard operating procedure in Foxborough. The real streak to watch is whether the franchise can make it to its seventh straight AFC title game. Anything less will be considered a disappointment.

What does this mean for the rest of the AFC East: An entire division seemed set to tank 2017 and rebuild for a better shot at the Pats next fall. Instead, the East overachieved. The Jets sold off veteran pieces and turned to unheralded young players in what looked like a tank job, but Josh McCown’s unlikely renaissance — until he broke his hand — has the Jets already matching their win total (five) from last year. The Dolphins looked cooked after losing Ryan Tannehill to a season-ending injury back in August, but the combination of Jay Cutler and Matt Moore pushed Miami out to an early 3-2 record before falling back down to earth. Last week’s win over the Pats kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

The Bills also looked primed for a rebuild after trading away players like Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby in the preseason, but an 8-6 start has given them a shot at just their second winning season in the past 13 years. Buffalo has upended potential contenders like the Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs this season while punching above its weight class.

But none of those teams have been able to crack the Patriots’ iron grip on the top spot in the East. If Brady’s age-41 season is anything like the one he’s put together at age 40, 2018 won’t be any different.