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Patriots clinch AFC East title thanks to Dolphins loss

The Patriots claimed their seventh straight AFC East title tonight - and just by sitting at home.

The Dolphins' 31-24 loss to the Giants on Monday Night Football handed the division title to the Patriots.

New England (11-2) could have simply clinched the division with one more win, of course, because the Jets (8-5) wouldn't be able to catch them.

But the Dolphins' loss offers a confusing path to a quicker clinching. Here's how it would work, as confirmed by the NFL today:

The Miami loss clinches at least a tie in the Pats' strength-of-victory tiebreaker with the Jets.