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HOUSTON -- The New England Patriots needed some help, but they're back in the driver's seat of the AFC playoff race.

Before the Patriots even took the field, the Cincinnati Bengals already lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers (and their starting quarterback) and the Denver Broncos embarrassingly fell to the lowly Oakland Raiders. The Patriots then proved they're the class of the AFC by dominating the Houston Texans in a 27-6 win, reclaiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC and clinching a playoff spot.

This wasn't a typical Patriots win, however. Their defense not only outshined their offense but also the highly lauded Texans defense. The Patriots allowed just 189 total yards and seven first downs. They let up just 102 passing yards thanks to brilliant coverage and six sacks totaling 57 yards. The Texans averaged 4 yards per carry on 22 handoffs for 87 rushing yards.

"Those guys did a good job," head coach Bill Belichick said after the win. "We played a lot of different people. That's what we've been doing along the front. Our linebackers did a good job. They had good coverage. They gave up three big plays, but on a down-in, down-out basis, I thought we competed well, tackled well. We were able to get off the field on third down, had a couple of stops when they got it down there to hold them to field goals, and then a fourth-down stop there in the third quarter."

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks had two sacks apiece, while defensive end Rob Ninkovich and defensive tackle Dominique Easley came away with one each. Linebacker Jamie Collins had nine tackles, a pass breakup and tackle for loss, and the secondary held star wideout DeAndre Hopkins to just three receptions on six targets for 52 yards.

"I think our defense played incredibly," quarterback Tom Brady said. "Offensively, we did enough. I think we took advantage of some opportunities and didn't make any really big mistakes, so that was pretty important."

The Patriots weren't even playing at full strength with their best defensive player, Dont'a Hightower, continuing to sit out with a knee injury. They also lost safety Devin McCourty (ankle), linebacker Jonathan Freeny (hand) and Easley (thigh) during the game. Freeny was spotted in the Patriots' locker room with a cast on his right hand.

The Patriots were able to get back on track following a two-game skid against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, and Sunday's win all but guarantees them a first-round bye in the playoffs with an 11-2 record and the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on the horizon.

The Broncos and Bengals, both 10-3, play one another, and Denver still has the Steelers on their schedule. The Bengals likely will be starting AJ McCarron at quarterback, so the Patriots are sitting pretty with three games to go in the regular season.

Check out this week's coverage charting stats:

Malcolm Butler: 1-3, 49 yards, PBU
Logan Ryan: 2-5, 45 yards, two PBUs
Jamie Collins: 4-6, 25 yards, PBU
Jerod Mayo: 2-2, 25 yards
Jonathan Freeny: 1-1, 10 yards
Patrick Chung: 1-3, 6 yards, PBU
Leonard Johnson: 1-3, -1 yards, two PBUs

Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images