The New England Patriots clinched the top seed in the AFC with a 26-6 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, securing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoff with a 13-3 record.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who claimed a first-round bye last week, finished as the second seed in the AFC also at 13-3, losing a tiebreaker to the Patriots via head-to-head record. The Steelers made the Cleveland Browns the second team to ever finish 0-16 with their 28-24 win on Sunday.
The controversial Patriots win over the Steelers in Week 15 - that saw Pittsburgh's Jesse James have a potential game-winning touchdown disallowed - ended up being the deciding factor between the two clubs.
This is the eighth straight year the Patriots have finished the regular season with a bye through the first round of the playoffs. The Steelers had not clinched one of the AFC's top two seeds since 2010, when they lost Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers.
