Patriots tight end Hunter Henry leaps over the Jets' Isaiah Carter duirng last Thursday night's win at Gillette Stadium. (AP photo)

It’s mid-November, and a lot is starting to take shape in the National Football League.

The New England Patriots are now a national item at 9-2. No longer the fun local story, but an issue of national debate.

It’s not one the Patriots really want to get into. Just win, and let the record and results speak for themselves.

“When you put the work in and we have good players and good coaches, you are going to get a result that you want,” Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said. “Obviously there’s been some results this season, some losses, and you build from that and learn from it and try to learn about it every week. … Just trying to take it one week at a time.”

“We’ve got a really talented team,” Patriots rookie lineman Will Campbell said. “We’ve got guys that play together and that are brought into what Vrabes (head coach Mike Vrabel) is building, and the staff is asking of us.

“After we wein, we’ve got to move on to the next one. We can’t ride the highs and be down in the dumps on the low. We’ve got to keep doing wha we do and having great weeks of practice and every week beore thegames and just continuing to do it.”

The question everyone asks is ‘Can they continue to do it?’

The question should be, “Who in the AFC will stop them?”

The answer: Right now, it looks like the Denver Broncos.

This is not your father’s AFC. No, the Kansas City Chiefs are not in the playoffs at 5-5, although everyone thinks eventually they will be. The Baltimore Ravens are, despite a four-game winning streak, a shell of their former selves, also at 5-5.

The supposedly up-and-coming Los Angeles Chargers got crunched by the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Patriots at Gillette thanks to New England miscues are 6-4 and Aaron Rodgers has a bad left wrist to go with a bad supporting cast.

So that leaves two teams – at this point: The 9-2 Broncos and the 7-3 Buffalo Bills, whom the Patriots punched in the mouth on the road. Buffalo got a big win over the Chiefs and one over Tampa this past week. We’ll know more when the Bills come to Gillette Stadium on Dec. 14 for what likely will remain a 1 p.m. start.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s opponent, Cincinnati, are likely – pending appeal of his one-game suspension – to be without talented star receiver Ja’marr Chase, as he couldn’t keep his saliva away from the Steelers’ Jalen Ramsey during Pittsburgh’s 34-12 win. Bad team, bad coach, and QB Joe Burrow isn’t expected back until at least another week, so the Patriots will have to stop Joe Flacco. Amazing. Here are the quarterbacks they’ve faced since beating Josh Allen and Buffalo back on Oct. 5: Spencer Rattler (Saints), Cam Ward (Titans), Dillon Gabriel (Browns), Michael Penix (Falcons), Baker Mayfield (Bucs), and Justin Fields (Jets). Mayfield is the best of the lot, and Penix nearly did beat them at Gillette, a missed extra point keeping things from overtime.

But still, it’s not a murderers row. In fact the majority of those QBs are murdering their own teams. The Jets have benched Fields in favor of Tyrod Taylor.

Who’s left? Allen again, and we’ll see how the rematch goes. Before that, it will either be Giants rookie Jaxon Dart or interception machine Jameis Winston.

Lamar Jackson awaits, if healthy, just before Christmas. Then its who knows with the Jets and likely Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, who lost to the Patriots for the first time back in September, to end the season.

A lot can happen in the next six weeks. Teams have looked like world beaters in mid-November only to be what-ifs in January. Or the opposite. But if it’s between the Patriots and Denver, it’s Drake Maye vs. Bo Nix. Really? Who would you pick?

The Patriots have survived some injuries with their depth getting tested. But Monday Vrabel said running back Rhamondre Stevenson and receiver Kayshon Boutte should be returning to practice. But the Patriots will need their linebackers to help with the loss of defensive lineman Milton Williams due to an ankle injury for the next month.

“We have to do everything we can to try to put the pieces together to help us win,” Vrabel said. “We just have to be able to play the game and put the guys where we expect them to (be) – any sort of injury can occur on any play at any point in time with football.”

And that, fans, is what a 17-game NFL season is all about. Survival of the fittest, and until lately the Patriots have looked pretty fit. And they may just fit the bill for late January – or early February.

This week’s rankings:

AFC

1. New England (9-2). 2.Denver (9-2). 3. Buffalo (7-3). 4. Indianapolis (8-2). 5. L.A. Chargers (7-4).

NFC

1.Philadelphia (7-2). 2.L.A. Rams (8-2). 3. Detroit (6-4). 4.Seattle (7-3). Chicago (7-3).