The New England Patriots were not able to take care of business in Week 16 as they fell to the Buffalo Bills, 33-21.

Not only did New England lose this game to Buffalo, but they are no longer in first place of the AFC East as the Bills are now in control of the division and have two easy games remaining on their schedule against the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets.

This is the second week in a row that the Patriots have lost and they're starting to not play their best football at the worst time possible. They still have a very good chance at making the playoffs and all they can control at this point is taking care of business and beating the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins in their final two games of the season.

Let's take a look at some takeaways from the Patriots' Week 16 loss to the Bills.

*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Patriots Week 16 Takeaways

3. AFC East is gone

Article Continues Below
More New England Patriots News
Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) walks towards the sideline before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Stefon Diggs being cut ‘on the table,’ amid viral videoMike Gianakos ·
Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) warms up prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Stefon Diggs’ future hinges on truth over boat party says Albert BreerJake Faigus ·
New England Patriots guard Cole Strange (69) defends against Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. (93) at Allegiant Stadium.
Patriots rumors: Controversial 1st-Round pick on chopping block to be cutConor Roche ·
New England Patriots center David Andrews (60) watches from the sideline during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium.
2-time Super Bowl champion retires after 10 seasons with PatriotsConor Roche ·
Sep 24, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
Falcons send fans into frenzy after immediately deleting ’28-3′ postMike Gianakos ·
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks the to media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel sounds off on viral Stefon Diggs boat videoBenedetto Vitale ·

The AFC East is about as good as gone for this Patriots team. Sure, there is still a chance that they can win this division and it wouldn't be unlikely because the Bills just have to lose one game and New England would have to win their next two.

The reality of the situation is that the Bills are playing arguably the two worst teams in all of football while they take on the Falcons and the Jets. It is unlikely that Buffalo is going to lose either of these games as both of their opponents that they are going up against are simply just not good football teams and certainly not good enough to beat a team like the Bills. New England can't worry about winning the division because it doesn't look like that's going to happen and instead they need to focus on getting a wild-card spot and taking care of business in the last two weeks.

2. Defense was bad

This is not something that is usually said because the New England Patriots usually have one of the best defenses in all of football. On Sunday, this was not the case as they allowed Josh Allen to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. They gave up 33 points to a Bills' offense that is very good but has struggled at times throughout the year. If New England wants to have any success towards the back end of the season, they're going to need to play better defense and do what they have done on the defensive side of the ball for most of the year.

1. Playoffs?

As crazy as it might sound, there is a chance that the Patriots do not make the playoffs. They have an easy game coming up against the Jacksonville Jaguars and they should be able to take care of business against them. The problem is that they are taking on the Miami Dolphins in the final week of the season and everybody knows that the Dolphins typically give the Patriots a little bit of trouble. If they do not find a way to win that game, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye as they will be watching from home.