Opinion: The AFC East is the Best Division in the NFL
Before Tom Brady left the New England Patriots for the Bucs’, the rest of their division was somewhat of a joke for years. Now, just 2 years later, the Patriots are at the bottom of an elite division, with young stars at QB for other division teams. The AFC East, consisting of the Bills, Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots, is home to some of the best teams in the NFL this season.
Buffalo Bills (6-1)
AP
Even though the Eagles might have a better record, the Bills have shown that they are by far the best team in the NFL right now, even with a loss to division rival Dolphins. After already having a bye week, quarterback Josh Allen is third in the NFL in pass yards with 2,198 yards, while wide receiver Steffon Diggs in second for receiving yards this year at 764. The Bills have already had most of their toughest games of the season this year, beating the Rams, Titans, Chiefs, and Packers. Their only big challenges coming up in the season are the Vikings and a rematch with the Dolphins.
In almost every game, the Bills have looked spectacular. Their defense plays well, while their offense is explosive. They just traded for Nyheim Hines, a great running back, earlier this week to create a dual threat in the run game with Devin Singletary. The Bills are the team to beat this year, and they aren’t going to step off the gas anytime soon.
New York Jets (5-3)
Noah Murray - AP
The Jets have been the laughing stock of New York football for years. I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when they’ve actually been good! With quarterback Zach Wilson in his sophomore season, the Jets are looking like a potential playoff team. As soon as Wilson came back from his injury suffered in preseason, he took the Jets on a four game win streak, with an impressive 27-10 win over the Packers.
The Jets have a great group of wide receivers with Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis, along with tight end Tyler Conklin. The bad news is that leading rusher Breece Hall has suffered a season ending ACL tear against the Broncos.
Losing to division rival Patriots last week didn’t help, but if Wilson can get his teammates to rally, this Jets team could cause problems late in the season.
Miami Dolphins (5-3)
AP
The Miami Dolphins are better than their record shows. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion in week four hurt the team in many ways. They lost three straight games with Tagovailoa out, but as soon as he cleared the concussion protocol, the Dolphins bounced back and have won every game since.
Tagovailoa has found a lot of success under new head coach Mike McDaniels, and it’s good to see, considering how his talents in college hadn’t translated over to the NFL yet. This season, he has two elite receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Running back Raheem Mostert is averaging a respectable 4.5 yard-per-carry so far this season. They also just added LB Bradley Chubb to the team this season, who will likely help elevate the defense.
This is the season Dolphins fans have been waiting for, and they have very winnable games in their future, as well as some challenges that will make them prove how good they really are.
New England Patriots (4-4)
Michael Dwyer - AP
The Patriots have quickly turned from an elite franchise to one that is finding itself in the middle of a rebuild. It was clear that Tom Brady made the Patriots what they were. There has been some drama surrounding the quarterback position this year, with Bailey Zappe starting games after a Mac Jones injury. Going 2-1 with Zappe steering the ship, head coach Bill Bellicheck decided to start Mac Jones in week seven against the Bears, and quickly benched him after one quarter. Although Zappe did help score two touchdowns, the Patriots didn’t score the rest of the night and lost 33-14. In the week following the loss, there was a lot of speculation over who would get the starting position, which Jones ultimately won. He clearly came out to prove he was better than Zappe, and lead his team to a 22-17 win over division rival Jets.
The Patriots have some tough opponents coming up, but if they can get their quarterback situation figured out, I think they will help break opposing teams’ playoff hopes.
