Jets lose! Jets lose!

The New York Jets opened the door for the Patriots today with their loss at Seattle. Here's how things now look in the AFC East:

1. Miami, 10-5
2. New England, 10-5
3. New York Jets, 9-6
4. Buffalo, 6-8

If the Dolphins win next Sunday against the Jets, both teams would be 9-3 in common games; the Dolphins would have an 8-4 record in AFC games to the Patriots' record of 7-5 and thus win the division title.

The Patriots, then still need some help. But there are ways to get that help. Among them:
* From Jacksonville. If the Jaguars beat the Ravens and the Patriots beat the Bills, the Patriots could qualify as the wild card. That's something of a tall order as the Jaguars have won just once since Nov. 9; they're 1-5 since then.
* From the Jets. If the Jets win or tie against the Dolphins and the Patriots beat the Bills, the Patriots would win the AFC East for the sixth straight season. That might be a tall order, too, given that the Jets have lost three of four and would have lost four of four if not for J.P. Losman's inexplicable fumble a week ago.

There's still a chance. The Patriots absolutely have to win in Buffalo on Sunday, but there still are plausible scenarios that would get them into the playoffs.

"Whatever else happens, happens," Bill Belichick said. "There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to do what we can do, which was win today and go out there and play well against Buffalo next week."