The New England Patriots extended their winning streak to seven games on Monday night, defeating the division rival Buffalo Bills, 14-10, in a throwback battle of field position with bitter cold temperatures and strong winds gusts.
Once again -- and to no one's surprise -- Bill Belichick holds control over the AFC's top playoff seed. But are they officially the team to beat in this up-for-grabs, competitive conference? JR still harbors some doubts about the idea.
"If I have to trust somebody to come back, I'm taking Patrick Mahomes over Mac Jones. If I have to trust somebody to lead me on a game-winning drive, I'm still taking Mahomes," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Tuesday. "Yes, he had a slow start to the year. Trying to do too much. Trying to go for the home run. This man is still a threat...
"And by the way, yes, these Kansas City Chiefs have experience. They're still your reigning AFC champs. So, until they're knocked off, I'm going to say that the Chiefs are the team to beat. I'd love to see the Patriots in the Super Bowl versus Tom Brady. I still think it's more likely we get the Chiefs, that Mahomes makes his way back to another Super Bowl..."
Orchard Park's harsh December weather didn't inconvenience New England's rushing attack. They ran at will against Buffalo, racking up a total of 222 yards on 46 carries with a touchdown. Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones only threw the ball three times, and according to ESPN research, his three passing attempts were the fewest in a game in franchise history. Old-school football.
As for the Chiefs, which own the AFC's fourth seed, they extended their win streak to five games with a 22-9 beatdown of the Denver Broncos on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Their high-octane, high-powered offense wasn't needed, as their bend-not-break defense forced three turnovers.
Kansas City (8-4) will host the Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) in a division matchup on Sunday afternoon. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Chiefs currently have a 60-percent chance to win the AFC West and a 14-percent chance to clinch the conference's first-round bye.
JR's complete thoughts on the AFC playoff picture can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.