FOXBORO -- There were a few reminders here and there -- Rob Gronkowski wore his division champions t-shirt in the locker room, while Aaron Hernandez had his underneath his jersey at practice.

But for the most part, any sort of excitement the Patriots had about winning the AFC East -- and potential good feeling about suddenly finding themselves in the drivers’ seat in the AFC playoff picture -- had worn off by Tuesday afternoon. In its place was talk about the business at hand, namely, getting prepared on a short week to face Miami.

“We were definitely happy that we won that game and had won the division,” said linebacker Rob Ninkovich. “But we’ve got two more games that are going to help set us up for the playoffs, so we’ve got to continue to play hard and fight these last two games.”

Adding to the good feeling that came with clinching their ninth division title in 11 seasons was the fact that every other AFC team that entered the weekend with a 10-3 mark (Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore) all lost. That left the Patriots all alone on top of the conference with an 11-3 mark.

If they win both of their remaining regular-season games, they’ll lock up the top seed in the conference and assure themselves of home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, as well as a bye week at the start of the postseason. The Patriots can actually take it a step further, and can clinch the top overall seed as early as this weekend if they beat the Dolphins while the Texans (at the Colts), Ravens (home against the Browns) and Steelers (home against the Rams) all lose.

But Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday that talk of the postseason can wait.

“We have to go out and win -- that’s what we have to do,” Belichick said. “We can’t worry about what everybody else does or doesn’t do. We don’t have any control over that. If we don’t do well, then I don’t think we’ll be where we want to be.

“Right now, all we’re worried about is Miami. All the rest of it is just something for you guys to write about.”

“I don’t think we think about any of those things other than Miami,” said quarterback Tom Brady when quizzed about the playoff possibilities. “We haven’t thought about another different. We’ve had a very short-term focus as we always do here, and certainly, this week is no different. You talk about something that is five weeks from now, that’s not really what we’re thinking about.”

The Patriots are certainly set up nicely to clinch the No. 1 seed, but they remain wary about the road ahead, even though the Dolphins and Bills are 5-9 on the season. All the have to do is look at the losses by the Texans and Ravens, both of whom went down to defeat against at underdog, while reminding themselves that the Dolphins have won five of their last seven.

“I don’t think we've got enough time to smile,” said cornerback Devin McCourty when asked about the Patriots good fortunes that came with the upsets suffered by the Texans and Ravens. “We see that happen, but I think it really (emphasizes) how important it is for us to keep playing well and to be ready to go on Saturday.”

On paper, the Dolphins look to offer the Patriots a sterner test than the Bills. After Miami lost seven straight to open the season, they have played well down the stretch, including wins over Oakland, Washington and Kansas City, as well as two wins over Buffalo.

Miami coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday the Dolphins aren’t looking to play the role of spoiler this weekend, only to try and “get better as a team and try to close out the season on a winning note.” And Dolphins running back Reggie Bush said that any motivation Miami needs should come with a sense of personal pride.

“It’s a division game. It’s a big game. It’s the New England Patriots,” Bush said. “Anytime you’re playing a divisional opponent, it’s always big and we want to finish the season strong. At the same time we know that we’re still being evaluated no matter what the record says we’re all still being evaluated on a daily basis on a weekly basis.

“It’s still important to go out there and do your job, and that’s the most important thing. And guys obviously at the same time want to win.  We want to finish the season strong and that’s our motivation to finish the seasons strong and win and to just do our job.”