New England Patriots: Why Losing AFC East Would Be Worse Than Red Sox Collapse

Coming off an impressive victory at home over the Kansas City Chiefs, whom nobody can figure out this year, the New England Patriots now enjoy a two-game cushion in the AFC East over both the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills with six games left in the season.

Even better news for the Pats is that their two-game lead over the hated Jets is essentially a 2.5-game lead by virtue of their season sweep over New York.

A two-game lead in the NFL is normally anything but safe, especially with six games left for all three teams with a realistic chance at the crown. However, New England's remaining schedule is by far the easiest among not only their AFC East counterparts but the entire National Football League.

Bill Belichick's squad doesn't play one team with a winning record the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Buffalo must still travel to San Diego and New York to face a Jets team who still must play their shared-stadium rival Giants.

However, the Patriots cannot rely on this to coast into the playoffs as they face some teams that are more than capable of pulling off an upset, something very possible considering New England has the NFL's worst pass defense at 300 yards per game.

The Pats must travel to Philadelphia this weekend off a short week of practice to take on an Eagles team that is coming off a huge victory and has made a statement to the league that they are ready to scrap for their postseason life.

The following week features a home game against Indianapolis that is expected to be so lopsided that it got moved out of the prime-time slot.

Then the Pats play two very intriguing games on the road against teams that are headed in opposite directions. The Redskins have lost six straight after starting 3-1 while the Denver Broncos have won four out of five since naming Tim Tebow starting quarterback.

The next two games for New England are also against teams heading in opposite directions in Miami and Buffalo. Luckily for the Pats, both games are at home and the final game against the Bills would likely allow them a final shot at clinching the division should they slip up a couple times along the way.

The bottom line is that none of the teams the Patriots face between now and New Years are nearly as stable as New England and there should be no excuses for Brady and Belichick to lose any, much less two of these contests down the stretch.

That being said, this New England team is not like the Pats teams of recent memory and is much more vulnerable to upsets. The offense can still move the ball effectively and score but the defense leaves them exposed even when the offense gives the team a lead to work with.

The AFC East may seem like it is already decided but all the fans in New England know all too well that no lead is safe. This is especially true in the NFL, where any team can win any given Sunday.

If the Patriots want to avoid being the second organization this year to break New Englanders' hearts, they need to learn from the Red Sox and maintain their focus down the stretch.