Buckley: Patriots defense looked ‘dangerous'

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Which team is the best in the AFC?

There are four teams battling for that honor - Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Those are the top four teams in the AFC, but they're not all created equal, and by the end of the season, only two will earn first round byes.

The Texans have only one loss and are currently the top team in the AFC, but they've looked shaky in their last two games and still have four games against teams above .500, including a Monday night game at New England.

The Patriots meanwhile, still have three games against weaker teams from Florida (two against the Dolphins and one against the Jaguars), bookending two tough games against the Texans and 49ers.

Of the top four teams, the Denver Broncos have the easiest remaining schedule. The Ravens probably face the toughest road, with remaining games against the Steelers, Broncos and Giants.

For Steve Buckey, Thursday's beatdown of the New York Jets shows that the Patriots are unquestionably the top team in the AFC.

"We had all these questions about their defense," said Buckley. "Their defense looked dangerous last night. Granted, it's the Jets, the Jets are falling apart, I get it. But it really looks like a classic Belichick team, it's coming together as the weather gets colder."

The Patriots still need to prove that they can bring that same intensity against a tougher opponent, and they need to do it on a consistent basis, but what they showed on Thanksgiving at least offers hope that they have found their groove and could be very dangerous as the season winds down.

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