Patriots Clinch AFC East: Latest Comments and Reaction

The New England Patriots clinched the AFC East title Sunday with a 16-3 win over the Denver Broncos. It marked the franchise's eighth consecutive division crown and 13th in the last 14 years. 

The Patriots also clinched a first-round bye with their 12-2 record, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Save for a second-place finish in 2008—when they were still an impressive 11-5—there has been no stopping the Patriots in the AFC East.

Bleacher Report mocked the dominance from the organization over nearly a decade:

As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted, the streak of division titles is a new NFL record.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post provided a look at just how impressive the latest run has been:

Adam Schein of CBS Sports Network gave high praise after the latest win:

While the rest of the division hasn't put up much of a fight, the Patriots have fought through adversity throughout the 2016 campaign.

Quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season because of his role in the Deflategate scandal. What's more, Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury while filling in, which forced rookie Jacoby Brissett into the starting role.

Despite the limitations under center, the Patriots went 3-1 in those first four games and put things on cruise control as soon as Brady returned with four consecutive victories. No. 12 also threw himself into the MVP discussion even though he missed the first quarter of the season.

The biggest blow to the Patriots came when tight end Rob Gronkowski was put on injured reserve for a herniated disk in his back, which ended his season, per Rapoport.

Gronkowski is a unique weapon from the tight end position who is nearly impossible to stop in one-on-one coverage. His mere presence opens up the field for the rest of Brady's receivers because opposing defenses are forced to shift additional attention Gronkowski's way on nearly every passing down.

On the defensive side, the Patriots traded linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns. While that was probably more of a blow to Collins than the Patriots, they still lost a versatile defensive playmaker who made the Pro Bowl last season because of his ability to help stuff the run and defend the pass by rushing the quarterback or dropping back into coverage.

Even with the various setbacks, New England won the division with relative ease.

The defense has carried the slack some of the time, leading the NFL in points allowed, per Field Yates of ESPN.

While the division crown is always a minor goal, it is typically Super Bowl or bust for head coach Bill Belichick and Brady. The Patriots have won four Lombardi Trophies since the 2001 season and made two additional Super Bowl appearances during that span.

However, they have lost the AFC Championship Game in three of the last four seasons, including last year to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Broncos. The upcoming playoffs will be an uphill battle without Gronkowski, but they still have arguably the greatest quarterback of all time under center in Brady.

A fifth ring for Brady in the same season he was suspended and lost his best offensive weapon to serious injury would be yet more proof that he is the best in NFL history.