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FOXBOROUGH Authentic Byron Cowart Jersey , Mass. (AP) — For nine straight years, the final few weeks of the regular season for the Patriots have included the celebration of an AFC East title and typically an accompanying first-round bye in the playoffs.New England can lock up a 10th consecutive division crown Sunday with a win or tie against Buffalo, or a Miami loss or tie when it hosts Jacksonville. The Patriots would also become the first franchise in NFL history to earn a playoff berth in 10 straight seasons.But they enter the final two weeks of the regular season needing help to avoid playing in the wild-card round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009.Article continues below ...Following back-to-back losses at Miami and Pittsburgh , New England (9-5) began Week 16 on track to be the No. 3 seed in the AFC behind Kansas City (11-3) and Houston (10-4).The Patriots have not been a wild-card team since 2009, when they were blown out by Baltimore. They also failed to make it to the Super Bowl the other two times under coach Bill Belichick (2005 and 2006) that they played during the opening weekend of the postseason. New England has never started the postseason on the road with Belichick the coach and Tom Brady the quarterback.The first step to New England avoiding those fates is by continuing its dominance against the Bills (5-9), a team it has beaten four straight times — including a 25-6 win at Buffalo in October. It was one of the few successes the Patriots had on the road this season, where they’ve gone just 3-5.While they will be at home Sunday and for their regular-season finale on Dec. 30 against the Jets, coach Bill Belichick is not counting it as an advantage.“I think playing well creates an advantage,” he said.New England is as healthy as it’s been all season, but will have to adapt after receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday for violating an agreement that allowed him to play after multiple drug suspensions.Gordon was thriving in New England, where he landed in September in a trade after the Browns felt it was time to cut ties. In 11 starts with the Patriots, he had 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns, five years removed from an All-Pro season in 2013 with 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said Buffalo, which is coming off a close win over Detroit last week, is embracing the role of spoiler.“It’s huge,” Alexander said. “Obviously, they’ve been the standard of our division for the last 15 years, and they’re in the division chase. So for us to go up there and be able to beat them would be huge obviously for this city, for our team and organization. Because they’re a team that’s really had our number since I’ve been here.”Here are some things to watch for in Sunday’s game:WHO STEPS UP?With Gordon out White Drew Bledsoe Jerseys , Brady will be looking for someone to fill his production for the remainder of the season. That will likely mean a lot more will be put on veteran receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski, though both struggled at times this season. Edelman has 63 catches for 711 yards and four touchdowns, while Gronkowski has 45 catches for 658 yards and three TDs.But Gronk was limited again this week by ankle and back issues. And between them, they have just two touchdowns over the past three games.OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTWith rookie quarterback Josh Allen back on the field for four games since missing four with a sprained right elbow, the Bills’ offense is improving despite RB LeSean McCoy’s ongoing struggles.Allen is 57 for 114 for 801 yards, four TDs and four INTs in in his last four starts. Meanwhile, the Bills have topped 100 yards rushing in five straight games, matching last season’s high.McCoy has topped 100 yards just once — 113 yards and two touchdowns — in a 41-10 win at the New York Jets on Nov. 11. Otherwise, with 479 yards rushing, he’s in jeopardy of finishing with the lowest production of his career. He had 637 yards as a rookie in 2009, when he had four starts in 16 games.CHARTING BRADYBrady owns a 29-3 record against Bills. His 29 wins against Buffalo are the most victories by a quarterback against a single opponent. Next is Brady’s 26 wins against Jets.Brady passed for 324 yards in the last meeting with Buffalo and needs 21 to join Peyton Manning (14) and Drew Brees (12) as quarterbacks with 10 seasons of 4,000-plus yards passing. A look at the teams selecting Friday night and where the Patriots fit in."The NFL Draft resumes tonight at 7 PM, and the Arizona Cardinals will be on the clock first at pick 33. Typically Friday is the more exciting day, especially for Patriots fans, because there is a lot of movement between teams.Last night, 5 picks in rounds 2 and 3 changed hands. The picks were: Other than that, the draft order hasn’t changed since yesterday. Of course, there are rumors that Josh Rosen may be on the move at some point today, so that could certainly change, but Drew Bledsoe Jerseys 2019 , for now, the board looks mostly the same as it did yesterday.The Patriots have the most picks (five) tonight, with the Colts and Rams both having four. The Colts, however, have three picks in the second round, while the Rams have three in the third. As you probably know, the Patriots have two in the second and three in the third. Some teams that may be even more likely to trade picks are the Texans, Chiefs, and Eagles.That’s because they have picks bunched close together. The Texans have back to back picks at 54 and 55.Unless they love 2 guys there, it would be a great opportunity to get the guy they want and still trade down and get more picks. The Eagles are in a similar situation with picks 53 and 57, and the Chiefs hold nearly back to back picks at 61 and 63. All of those teams could be focused on one player in the spot they’re in and, while getting him, also trade back and pick up more assets.As far as the Patriots are concerned, the wait won’t be quite as long for them tonight, as they are picking 24th tonight, at pick 56. Then they’ll have a pick just eight picks later at 64, and nine picks after that at 73. Having picks relatively close together may allow them to trade back, or, possibly, trade a pick or two for a veteran who can make an immediate impact. Look for the Patriots to make some noise at the end of the second and top of the third. After 73 White Steve Grogan Jerseys , they have to wait until 97, but they again have picks very close together, because they will be on the clock again at 101.Having the number of picks they do, and the relatively small gap between most of their picks gives the Patriots a ton of options tonight. Last year, the Patriots dealt one of their 3rd rounders for Trent Brown. Will we see the same type of move this year? Will the Patriots trade up for a player they covet early in the second? Or, will the Patriots do what they did last year, and use those picks to get some extra draft capital for next season?I think it could be a little of everything. With five picks, they can draft a few players, pick up a veteran, or maybe second year player (come to me, Josh Rosen), or even make a trade for a higher pick next year. I’m hoping for some fireworks, which we always assume that we won’t get, but, then again, we’ve always said we wouldn’t see the flashy first round WR, and that already happened, so maybe Bill has some more surprises for us this year.Full 2nd and 3rd Round OrderRound 2 33. Arizona34. Indianapolis (from N.Y. Jets)35. Oakland36. San Francisco37. Seattle (from N.Y. Giants)38. Jacksonville39. Tampa Bay40. Buffalo41. Denver42. Cincinnati43. Detroit44. Green Bay45. L.A. Rams (from Atlanta)46. Indianapolis (from Washington)47. Carolina48. Miami49. Cleveland50. Minnesota51. Tennessee52. Denver (from Pittsburgh)53. Philadelphia (from Baltimore)54. Houston (from Seattle)55. Houston56. New England (from Chicago)57. Philadelphia58. Dallas59. Indianapolis60. L.A. Chargers61. Kansas City62. New Orleans63. Kansas City (from L.A. Rams)64. New EnglandRound 3 65. Arizona66. Pittsburgh (from Oakland)67. San Francisco68. N.Y. Jets69. Jacksonville70. Tampa Bay71. Denver72. Cincinnati73. New England (from Detroit)74. Buffalo75. Green Bay76. Washington77. Carolina78. Miami79. L.A. Rams (from Atlanta)80. Cleveland81. Minnesota82. Tennessee83. Pittsburgh84. Kansas City (from Seattle)85. Baltimore86. Houston87. Chicago88. Detroit (from Philadelphia)89. Indianapolis90. Dallas91. L.A. Chargers92. Seattle (from Kansas City)93. N.Y. Jets (from New Orleans)94. L.A. Rams95. N.Y. Giants (from New England through Cleveland)96. Washington*97. New England*98. Jacksonville (from L.A. Rams)*99. L.A. Rams*100. Carolina*101. New England*102. Baltimore*Pat is a host of The Patriot Nation PodcastFollow him on Twitter @plane_pats