The 2012 NFL schedule for the New England Patriots has just been released, with the team opening at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, September 9. What follows are the top three storylines coming out of the schedule.

Thanksgiving with the Jets

One of the more unique games on the schedule this year is a Thanksgiving Day matchup against Rex Ryan and the New York Jets. It is good to finally see a game worth watching on Thanksgiving, and I am glad the NFL put two division rivals together for what should be a great game. It should be interesting to see how the Jets’ offense will stack up against New England’s defense, especially when it comes to snaps taken by Tim Tebow.

Difficult Finishing Stretch

The most difficult stretch on the relatively manageable schedule for the Patriots in 2012 is from weeks 12 to 15, and even that should be favorable for the team. During that stretch the Patriots will be playing the Jets, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers; the favorable aspect of it is that New England will get both the Texans and 49ers at home, in what will likely be freezing temperatures in the middle of December.

Featured Matchup: Baltimore Ravens Week 3

The most important matchup to watch for the Patriots is week 3 against the Ravens. It is arguably going to be the most difficult team they will face in the regular season, and New England will be on the road as well, making it that much more difficult. With the additions of Brandon Lloyd and Anthony Gonzalez to go along with Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Chad Johnson/Ochocinco, the key for the Patriots will be attacking the Raven’s secondary, which won’t be an easy task to do by any means.

New England Patriots 2012 Schedule

1 – at Tennessee Titans September 9

2 – vs. Arizona Cardinals September 16

3 – at Baltimore Ravens September 23

4 – at Buffalo Bills September 30

5 – vs. Denver Broncos October 7

6 – at Seattle Seahawks October 14

7 – vs. New York Jets October 21

8 – at St. Louis Rams October 28

9 – Bye

10 – vs. Buffalo Bills November 11

11 – vs. Indianapolis Colts November 18

12 – at New York Jets November 22

13 – at Miami Dolphins December 2

14 – vs. Houston Texans December 10

15 – vs. San Francisco 49ers December 16

16 – at Jacksonville Jaguars December 23

17 – vs. Miami Dolphins December 30

Ryan Kekoufski is a lifelong New England Patriots fan. He covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and currently resides in Virginia.

New England Patriots

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks

New York Jets

Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks

Miami Dolphins

Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks

Away: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

Buffalo Bills

Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks

Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers

Unless you want to be on the next “Remember last year” blog post, it would be wise to withhold predictions. It’s too early for that. Rosters will change dramatically after the draft and free agency. Therefore, what looks like an easy matchup today may not be in September.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady is practicing with the New England Patriots after being limited in Thursday’s session by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Two days after sitting out practice, Brady stretched with his teammates during the brief period open to reporters Friday.

Asked what Brady was able to do Thursday, coach Bill Belichick said Friday: “Play quarterback, the usual thing.” When asked if Wednesday was a planned day off for Brady, Belichick said he thought that had been covered.

The Patriots have said Wednesday’s absence was not injury-related.

When asked whether Brady would be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Belichick said that, too, has been covered.

Comcast SportsNet has reported that Brady had X-rays to check for a separated left shoulder and was told he was “all set.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady practiced Friday with the New England Patriots after being limited in Thursday’s session by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Two days after sitting out practice, Brady stretched with his teammates during the brief period open to reporters.

Asked what Brady was able to do Thursday, coach Bill Belichick said Friday: “Play quarterback, the usual thing.” When asked if Wednesday was a planned day off for Brady, Belichick said he thought that had been covered.

The Patriots have said Wednesday’s absence was not injury-related.

When asked whether Brady would be able to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Belichick said that, too, has been covered.

Comcast SportsNet has reported that Brady had X-rays to check for a separated left shoulder and was told he was “all set.”

Read More: Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Matt Light (OT – NEP), Logan Mankins (G – NEP), Sebastian Vollmer (OT – NEP), New England Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not present at the media portion of the team’s Wednesday practice as his teammates prepared for their regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Brady, who was seen wearing an ice pack on his non-throwing shoulder after getting hit during the Miami Dolphins game in Week 16, spoke to reporters during media availability and is still expected to play on Sunday.

The Patriots were also without offensive linemen Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer during the media portion of the practice. Mankins sprained his MCL during the Dolphins game and is not expected to play against the Bills. Vollmer injured his right foot against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 27 and hasn’t played since.

Left tackle Matt Light miss Saturday’s win against the Dolphins, but returned to practice on Wednesday.

For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page or our blog Pats Pulpit.

AP PHOTO
New England’s Stevan Ridley finds room to run during Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro. The Patriots can lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the Bills Sunday.

FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have one major goal remaining in the regular season: clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. All they need to do is beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

That doesn’t seem so difficult for a team that has won its last seven games and will be at home against one that dropped seven straight before winning Saturday.

The Patriots (12-3) must keep avoiding turnovers and get decent play out of a makeshift offensive line should two starters remain sidelined. But the Bills (6-9) won 34-31 in the third game of the season, handing the Patriots one of their three losses. The Patriots gave the ball away four times in that game, all on Tom Brady’s interceptions leading to 24 points.

“I think everyone still has a pretty bitter taste in our mouths from the last time we lost to the Buffalo Bills,” Brady said Monday on WEEI radio. “It was an incredibly difficult loss for our team. Everyone is going to be excited to go out there and see if we can do a better job.”

They’ve done much better at hanging on to the ball throughout their winning streak. In those seven games, the Patriots have 16 takeaways and just two giveaways. They lead the AFC with a plus-14 turnover differential.

In their first eight games, that differential was zero — 14 takeaways and 14 giveaways.

“In the beginning of the season, it just wasn’t very good,” offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said Monday. “It’s kind of ironic playing

Buffalo this week and the challenges that they present. We turned the ball over four times against Buffalo in that game and we can’t do that. That’s just no way to win.”

Brady has thrown just one interception in the last seven games after having 10 in the first eight.

“Tom has done a much better job of taking care of the ball and he’s very, very conscious of it and it carries over to the rest of the offense,” O’Brien said. “If we can just continue to do that, that’s one of the major stats that equals wins, just taking care of the ball. The way our defense has been playing opportunistic football, that’s going to help us going forward.”

With better protection, Brady has more time to stand in the backfield and allow his receivers to get open. That was a big problem early in Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in which the Patriots trailed 17-0 at halftime.

Left tackle Matt Light didn’t play after hurting his ankle in pregame warmups. Left guard Logan Mankins started but suffered a knee injury in the first quarter that ended his day. There was no word on whether either would face the Bills.

“I don’t really know much more than I knew on Saturday” about Mankins, coach Bill Belichick said. “(Sunday) was Christmas, so today’s not a normal Monday. We’ll see where everybody is today and, more importantly, Wednesday when we hit the field again.”

Brady was sacked twice on New England’s first 10 offensive plays against Miami and was hurried often. But with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia making adjustments, the protection was much better in the second half with rookie tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, and free agent guard Donald Thomas filling in.

“We have a lot of depth up there because we bring in guys that are multiple position guys,” O’Brien said. “They’re smart guys, they’re tough guys and then Dante gets them ready to play. When one guy goes down, it’s really the next-guy-up mentality.”

Scarnecchia has had plenty of experience with that. He’s in his 28th year as a Patriots assistant, the last 12 as offensive line coach and assistant head coach under Belichick. They also were New England assistants under Bill Parcells in 1996.

“Dante, as I’ve said many times before, is really just an outstanding coach at every level, whether it’s working with experienced players or developing young players or game planning against sophisticated schemes or teaching the most basic techniques to rookies, undrafted players, things like that,” Belichick said.

“He really is very thorough, well prepared, smart, communicates well with his players. … He’s done a great job all the years that I’ve been here.”

Scarnecchia has coached in 32 of the Patriots’ 36 playoff games. He, and the rest of the team, would like to play two at home this season. If they win those, they’ll reach the Super Bowl.

But Brady is focusing on beating the Bills. If the Patriots lose, they can earn the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs only if both Baltimore and Pittsburgh lose.

“It’s hard to not be aware of” possible playoff opponents, Brady said. “We definitely don’t sit there in team meeting rooms and say, ‘These are all the scenarios that can play out.’ … We really are concerned with how we’re performing.”

By beating the Bills on Sunday, Tom Brady and the Patriots can celebrate earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming AFC playoffs. AP PHOTO

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FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have one major goal remaining in the regular season: clinching home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. All they need to do is beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

That doesn’t seem so difficult for a team that has won its last seven games and will be at home against one that dropped seven straight before winning Saturday.

The Patriots (12-3) must keep avoiding turnovers and get decent play out of a makeshift offensive line should two starters remain sidelined. But the Bills (6-9) won 34-31 in the third game of the season, handing the Patriots one of their three losses. The Patriots gave the ball away four times in that game, all on Tom Brady’s interceptions leading to 24 points.

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker outruns Miami Dolphins inside linebacker Kevin Burnett during the second half last Saturday. AP PHOTO

Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our MyCapture site.

“I think everyone still has a pretty bitter taste in our mouths from the last time we lost to the Buffalo Bills,” Brady said yesterday on WEEI radio. “It was an incredibly difficult loss for our team. Everyone is going to be excited to go out there and see if we can do a better job.”

They’ve done much better at hanging on to the ball throughout their winning streak. In those seven games, the Patriots have 16 takeaways and just two giveaways. They lead the AFC with a plus-14 turnover differential.

In their first eight games, that differential was zero — 14 takeaways and 14 giveaways.

“In the beginning of the season, it just wasn’t very good,” offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said yesterday. “It’s kind of ironic playing

Buffalo this week and the challenges that they present. We turned the ball over four times against Buffalo in that game and we can’t do that. That’s just no way to win.”

Brady has thrown just one interception in the last seven games after having 10 in the first eight.

“Tom has done a much better job of taking care of the ball and he’s very, very conscious of it and it carries over to the rest of the offense,” O’Brien said. “If we can just continue to do that, that’s one of the major stats that equals wins, just taking care of the ball. The way our defense has been playing opportunistic football, that’s going to help us going forward.”

With better protection, Brady has more time to stand in the backfield and allow his receivers to get open. That was a big problem early in Saturday’s 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins in which the Patriots trailed 17-0 at halftime.

Left tackle Matt Light didn’t play after hurting his ankle in pregame warmups. Left guard Logan Mankins started but suffered a knee injury in the first quarter that ended his day.

There was no word on whether either would face the Bills.

“I don’t really know much more than I knew on Saturday” about Mankins, coach Bill Belichick said. “(Sunday) was Christmas, so today’s not a normal Monday. We’ll see where everybody is today and, more importantly, Wednesday when we hit the field again.”

Brady was sacked twice on New England’s first 10 offensive plays against Miami and was hurried often. But with offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia making adjustments, the protection was much better in the second half with rookie tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, and free agent guard Donald Thomas filling in.

“We have a lot of depth up there because we bring in guys that are multiple position guys,” O’Brien said. “They’re smart guys, they’re tough guys and then Dante gets them ready to play. When one guy goes down, it’s really the next-guy-up mentality.”

The New England Patriots cut two players from their practice roster today: defensive back Ross Ventrone and defensive lineman Cedric McKinley.

Ventrone played in eight games this season for the Patriots and made two solo tackles. The Patriots originally signed Ventrone in 2010 as a rookie out of Villanova. He remained on the practice squad of New England for most of the 2010 season.

McKinley did not play in any games for New England in 2011. McKinley was undrafted out of Minnesota and signed to the Vikings’ practice squad in 2010. The Patriots signed McKinley to the practice squad roster on Dec. 20., 2011.

The Patriots (12-3), which have already won the AFC East division, are preparing for the final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills (6-9) at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

For more coverage of the Patriots, visit our team page or our blog Pats Pulpit.

Here is how Week 15 impacted the division:

New England Patriots (11-3)

Results: W, 41-23 against Denver

Power Ranking: No. 4 (up one spot)

Walker’s vote: No. 3 (up two spots)

Analysis: I think the Patriots got shafted a little this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens lost ahead of New England, but the Patriots only moved up one spot. The San Francisco 49ers jumped the Patriots after a big win over the Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” Either way, the Patriots just need to win their final two home games against Miami and Buffalo to secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC. New England will be hard to beat at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs if quarterback Tom Brady continues to play at an MVP level.

New York Jets (8-6)

Results: L, 45-19 against Philadelphia

Power Ranking: No. 12 (down two spots)

Walker’s vote: No. 14 (down four spots)

Analysis: The Jets continued their trend of not showing up on the road. They fell to 2-5 away from MetLife Stadium with an embarrassing 45-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets played their worst game all season and dropped two spots in ESPN.com’s Power Rankings. I voted New York No. 14 and NFC West blogger Mike Sando vote the Jets the lowest at No. 15.

Miami Dolphins (5-9)

Results: W, 30-23 against Buffalo

Power Ranking: No. 23 (same)

Walker’s vote: No. 22 (same)

Analysis: The Dolphins are finally ahead of the Bills in the Power Rankings. I’ve been voting Miami ahead of Buffalo for weeks after watching both teams trend in opposite directions. Our panel finally was convinced after Miami swept Buffalo in the season series. The Dolphins deserve a lot of credit for playing hard in the second half of the season, despite inner turmoil and the eventual firing of former head coach Tony Sparano. Miami has two tough games against the Patriots and Jets to finish the season.

Buffalo Bills (5-9)

Results: L, 30-23 against Miami

Power Ranking: No. 26 (down four spots)

Walker’s vote: No. 26 (down three spots)

Analysis: The Bills continue to drop after their seventh consecutive loss. The defense hasn’t stopped anyone in weeks and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been too streaky and inconsistent to lift his team. Buffalo needs to take a hard look at its roster in the offseason. The defense needs a major overhaul, but the offense also needs several pieces. Until then, Buffalo needs to try to win at least one of these next two games to help with confidence.

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes
to Rob Gronkowski as the New England Patriots defeated the
Kansas City Chiefs 34-3 to extend their National Football League
division lead.

Gronkowski hauled in touchdown passes of 52 and 19 yards,
Julian Edelman scored on a 72-yard punt return and the Patriots’
defense had three interceptions last night at Gillette Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

New England improved to 7-3 with its second straight win
and moved two games ahead of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills
atop the American Football Conference’s East Division. The
Patriots trailed 3-0 after the first quarter before rebounding
with 34 unanswered points to send the Chiefs (4-6) to a third
consecutive loss.

“We got some turnovers on defense and got a big punt
return for a touchdown,” Brady, who finished with 234 yards
passing, said in a televised interview. “It’s frustrating when
you come out on offense and don’t play the way I think we’re
capable of, but we’ll try to get it corrected and move on.”

None of the Patriots’ final six regular-season opponents
has a winning record, with the Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) next on
the schedule on Nov. 27.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

The Kansas City Chiefs play the New England Patriots Nov. 21 on Monday Night Football. The Patriots are one of the best teams in the AFC and have a one game lead on the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. The game marks the beginning of a crucial five-game swing for the Chiefs with backup quarterback Tyler Palko(notes) playing in his first NFL start.

The Chiefs and Patriots have a rivalry that goes back over 50 years. Here’s a look at some facts and figures surrounding both teams when they have played each other.

* Kansas City actually has a 16-12-3 overall record against the Patriots. However, the Chiefs have lost four of the last five meetings. The two teams used to be regular rivals in the AFL days when they played each other twice a year.

* The longest winning streak the Chiefs have against New England is five games between Nov. 12, 1967 and Sept. 23, 1973. If you count ties, Kansas City has a non-losing streak of nine games from Oct. 3, 1965 to 1973.

*Len Dawson’s first start with the Chiefs was way back on Sept. 8, 1962, when they were still the Dallas Texans. Until that game, Dawson had seen limited action in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. In his first full game, the hall of famer was 16-for-23 with 202 yards and two touchdowns. His game against the then-Boston Patriots launched a legendary career in a Chiefs uniform. Kansas City won 42-28 in Dawson’s debut.

* Kansas City has shut out the Patriots twice. The first was a 34-0 win Dec. 11, 1960, in the teams’ second meeting. The other shutout was Sept. 21, 1969, by a 31-0 score. The Patriots have never kept the Chiefs scoreless.

* Since the NFL-AFL merger, Kansas City is 6-7 against the New England Patriots. The teams have never met in the playoffs.

* Perhaps the most memorable game in the series was Sept. 22, 2002. Adam Vinatieri(notes) kicked a 35-yard field goal in overtime to win in Massachusetts. The game was tied 17-all going into the fourth quarter and the final score was 41-38. Priest Holmes scored three touchdowns and Tom Brady(notes) had 410 yards passing. The game marked the most points scored between both teams. Holmes scored the game’s final two touchdowns to tie the game at 38 apiece to send it to overtime.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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By Jay King

– Newsdesk Contributor

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Nov 15, 2011 – In beating the New York Jets on Sunday, the New England Patriots reestablished themselves as the AFC East favorites and surged up the SB Nation Week 11 NFL Power Rankings. 

After the Patriots’ thorough dismantling in New York, the Patriots moved from No. 10 to No. 7 in the latest rankings. “It’s looking like a familiar refrain in [the AFC East],” writes Joel Thorman.

The Patriots (6-3) have only one game remaining against an opponent with a winning record. Considering that the Patriots will have six straight games against sub-.500 teams before ending the season against Buffalo, New England could potentially clinch the AFC East before meeting the Bills in Week 17.

With Buffalo struggling and the Jets basically two games behind the Patriots (due to the Patriots’ season sweep), even the Jets believe the AFC East is New England’s to lose.

“We win this game, we got kind of a stranglehold on the division — and you let it slide,” Jets safety Jim Leonhard said. “So obviously there’s a lot of frustration. 

“It was a big goal of ours to go ahead and win this division, and we put ourselves in a hole again. Not saying it can’t happen, but it’s unlikely to happen at this point.”     

– For more Patriots coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Pats Pulpit.

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Six weeks ago it looked like the New York Jets were on the verge of tumbling out of contention for any shot at another run to the AFC Championship game.

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Their arch enemy, the New England Patriots, had just handed them a 30-21 loss to send them to their third straight defeat. The Jets allowed 30 or more points in each of them. At 2-3, no one was listening to any of the bluster and bravado from head coach Rex Ryan.

The season looked lost. And the Patriots, well, they loved it.

But entering Sundays rematch at MetLife Stadium, the roles are reversed. The Jets have rebounded in a big way, winning each of their past three games to charge back into the playoff picture.

New England, meanwhile, has lost two in a row and is in danger of their first three-game losing streak in nine seasons. And how fitting would it be if the Jets return the favor?

The Patriots have stood in the Jets’ way for years, having won the AFC East eight of the past 10 seasons. Ryan knows his Jets have a golden opportunity to take control of the division with a win, although the surprising Buffalo Bills are still very much a threat.

“They beat us already, so we know what this game represents,” Ryan said in a news conference. “We’re not afraid to talk about it. It’s not one of these, ‘Well, if we don’t win there’s still a lot of season left.’

“We’re approaching it like we have to have this game. We want to win our division. We think it goes through New England. Obviously it’s a three-way tie for first right now. But there’s an old saying, ‘To be the champ, you have to beat them champ.’ “

The Patriots haven’t looked like champions lately. In back-to-back losses to the Steelers and Giants, their offense has sputtered. The defense, meanwhile, has been bad all year and last week the team released defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

New England is allowing an NFL-high average of 416.2 yards per game. The pass defense specifically has been atrocious. The Patriots are the only team allowing an average of 300 or more passing yards a game (314).

“I think everybody can do a better job,” head coach Bill Belichick told reporters. “That includes everybody – it includes me, it includes all the coaches, it includes all the players. There’s room for improvement for all of us.”

Yeah, even Tom Brady. His passing yards (337.9 per game) and touchdowns (20) are up there with the leaders, but he’s already been intercepted 10 times after throwing just four picks all of last year.

But Brady is dealing with an elbow issue in his passing arm, which seems to have affected his touch. Brady isn’t using it as any kind of excuse, however.

“I’ve just got to make better decisions,” he told reporters.

Ryan is banking on the Jets’ faithful being deliriously loud, which could help disrupt Brady.

“I love the fact that we’re playing at home,” Ryan said. “Our fans could be the difference. When two good teams go at it, there’s a reason why there’s home-field advantage and all that.

“That’s a challenge I’m taking to our fans. We’re here, we’re undefeated at home (4-0) and let’s make it miserable.”

The Jets’ running game used to be miserable, averaging just 72 yards per game through the season’s first five weeks. During the winning streak, that average has shot up to 130 yards per game thanks to a rejuvenated Shonn Greene.

“I think it’s been great,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said of the running game. “Shonn’s been running very hard. He’s had some great lanes to run through.”

The lane to the AFC East title may run through New England, but a Jets’ victory tonight could change that.

“It has a lot to do with it,” Sanchez agreed. “I don’t think this is the end all, be all. It’s not the end of the world. But we don’t want to think about losing the game. We’re thinking about winning.

“We’ll just react after the game, but this is a big divisional game. It could set us up nice.”

NFL

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots took just half a season to decide they didn’t need Albert Haynesworth.

Two days after he sat out most of the second half against the New York Giants, the Patriots released the defensive lineman they obtained after his rocky two-year stay with the Washington Redskins.

In six games with the Patriots, Haynesworth had just six tackles and no sacks. His last play came in Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Giants when left guard David Diehl blocked him to clear the way for Brandon Jacobs’ 10-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the third quarter.

Coach Bill Belichick didn’t mention Haynesworth during his regular Tuesday conference call. About 41/2 hours later, the team announced Haynesworth’s release.

On the Giants’ first series of the second half, the 350-pound Haynesworth made some good plays early but got dominated on others. Then, on the sideline after Jacobs’ touchdown run, he and defensive line coach Pepper Johnson had an animated discussion.

“Whatever we talk about as a team during the game or in meetings and all that, it’s between the players and the coaches,” Belichick said Monday.

The Patriots are 5-3, tied for first in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, and have been ranked last in the NFL in defense most of the season.

Haynesworth, who missed two games this season with a back injury, wasn’t involved in any public troubles with New England, unlike his two-year stay in Washington.

After signing a seven-year, $100million free-agent contract with the Redskins after the 2008 season, Haynesworth feuded with new coach Mike Shanahan in 2010.

The Patriots obtained Haynesworth on July 28 for a fifth-round draft choice in 2013.

Haynesworth played collegiately at the University of Tennessee and started in the NFL with the Titans.

Other Developments

Bills get kicker: Kicker Dave Rayner has agreed to a contract with the Buffalo Bills to fill in for injured veteran Rian Lindell, who is out indefinitely after hurting his right shoulder last weekend.

Rayner has played for seven teams over parts of seven NFL seasons, including a one-game stint with Oakland last month.

Redskins make moves: The Washington Redskins have signed receiver David Anderson and released receiver Donte’ Stallworth.

Anderson joined the Redskins on Tuesday, nearly a month after he was waived by Houston. He was in his sixth season with the Texans, where he played under current Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Anderson has 82 catches for 895 yards in his career but only one reception for 9 yards this season.

Stallworth joined the Redskins this season but failed to make much of an impact. He had five catches for 46 yards for an offense that is struggling to score.

Bears, Garza agree to 2-year extension: Veteran center Roberto Garza and the Chicago Bears have agreed on a two-year contract extension through 2013.

Primarily a guard his first 10 seasons, Garza replaced the departed Olin Kreutz at center and helped stabilize a line that struggled in the early going but has played well in recent weeks.