6:39 AM ET
NFL Nation reporters
The playoff compass successful the AFC is pointing owed East.
The AFC East is winning astatine specified a historical complaint that each 4 teams -- Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots -- would suffice for the postseason if the regular play ended this week. That's ne'er happened successful immoderate division, dating to the NFL-AFL merger successful 1970, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Likewise, nary part successful past has produced a play successful which each squad finished with a winning record, which happens to beryllium the existent situation. The first-place Dolphins (7-3) and last-place Patriots (5-4) are separated by the narrowest of margins with the 6-3 Bills and Jets sandwiched between.
To paraphrase Hall of Fame manager Bill Parcells, who led the Patriots and Jets successful the 1990s, the teams are "stacked up similar nine sandwiches."
"It's a precise bully division," Jets manager Robert Saleh said. "Obviously, New England, they're not going anyplace anytime soon arsenic agelong arsenic Bill [Belichick] is the caput coach. I deliberation [coach Mike] McDaniel is doing a phenomenal occupation successful Miami. They're loaded with talent. Obviously, Buffalo is loaded also. It's a loaded division. ... Every squad has an individuality that stands retired connected tape."
The last 8 weeks volition beryllium fascinating successful the wild, chaotic East.
Here is simply a person look astatine the division, courtesy of ESPN NFL Nation reporters Rich Cimini, Alaina Getzenberg Marcel Louis-Jacques and Mike Reiss.
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Stephen A. Smith and Herm Edwards disagree astir whether Tua Tagovailoa is simply a top-five backmost close now.
Miami Dolphins (7-3)
Why the Dolphins could triumph the AFC East
When their tally crippled complements their passing game, determination mightiness not beryllium a defence successful the NFL that tin halt them. And if their defence plays the mode it did Sunday successful their 39-17 triumph implicit the Cleveland Browns, they could beryllium the champion squad successful the league -- hide the division. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's businesslike play has sparked an discourtesy loaded with playmakers, and helium is simply a morganatic MVP candidate.
Why the Dolphins are vulnerable
Because we haven't seen accordant accumulation from their defence done 10 weeks. Getting retired of the AFC means having to halt offenses similar Buffalo and Kansas City. There's small uncertainty Miami tin support up with either squad successful a shootout, but eventually, its defence indispensable beryllium susceptible of making a stop.
What's the No. 1 happening manager Mike McDaniel has done to crook things astir for the first-place Dolphins, who are disconnected to their champion commencement since 2001?
Beyond thing helium has done from the sideline, McDaniel has cultivated a civilization of confidence, enactment and accountability passim the Dolphins' organization. The squad has responded to his demeanor successful the look of adversity and present seems to spot him aft a slew of one-score wins. Tagovailoa said McDaniel's cognition aft 3 consecutive losses (Weeks 4-6) is what sealed his spot successful the first-year caput manager -- whom helium said stayed consistent.
On the field, McDaniel has proved to beryllium a superb playcaller who understands his players and puts them successful presumption to succeed. The Dolphins person recorded 3,915 yards this play -- their second-most done 10 games successful franchise past -- which has meant grounds accumulation for Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. At this rate, McDaniel could beryllium successful the speech for Coach of the Year travel season's end. -- Marcel Louis-Jacques
Buffalo Bills (6-3)
Why the Bills could triumph the AFC East
Before the Bills' bye successful Week 7, they had a beardown lawsuit for being the champion squad successful the league. When backmost Josh Allen is clicking, the discourtesy has looked unbeatable, and connected defense, the summation of linebacker Von Miller has proved to beryllium a large positive, with Buffalo having occurrence aboriginal by not needing to blitz. The Bills person besides had the extent to marque up for injuries.
Why the Bills are vulnerable
Right now, it's the play of the quarterback, due to the fact that truthful overmuch revolves astir that position. Allen is going done a unsmooth agelong with six interceptions and 1 mislaid fumble successful the past 3 games. He has thrown 2 interceptions successful 3 consecutive games for the archetypal clip successful his vocation and corrections are needed to instrumentality to his MVP-candidate form.
The Bills are 2-3 successful one-score games; what's going incorrect astatine the extremity of games?
The Bills' second-half woes person go specified an contented that manager Sean McDermott spent clip Monday going done what precisely has ailed the squad successful the last 2 quarters and overtime. There are 2 large concerns.
Red portion turnovers are a large issue, including Allen's 2 extremity portion picks successful Sunday's 33-30 nonaccomplishment to the Vikings. And the Bills person besides allowed teams to crawl backmost into games via the crushed since their Week 7 bye. The defence has allowed the NFL's highest yards per unreserved wide (5.9), wrong the tackles (6.9) and aft interaction (2.8) since Week 8. They allowed the lowest successful each of those categories done the archetypal 7 weeks.
"During the bye, we were 1 of the apical teams successful the 2nd fractional some offensively and defensively," McDermott said. "So we've evidently done it before, present we've taken a measurement backmost and present we person to reassess and marque the due adjustments."
The Bills inactive ain the champion constituent borderline successful the league (+99), but some sides of the shot person handed opponents opportunities to enactment successful and triumph adjacent games. That has to beryllium corrected with 4 games against the AFC East inactive to come. -- Alaina Getzenberg
New York Jets (6-3)
Why the Jets could triumph the AFC East
They're a carnal radical who tin play defence with immoderate squad successful the league; the benignant of look you privation successful the colder months. They're 4-0 connected the road, and that's important due to the fact that 5 of their 8 remaining games are distant from MetLife Stadium.
"When we bring our best, we're beauteous hard to beat," halfway Connor McGovern said.
They besides should get healthier, with thee injured starters -- receiver Corey Davis, violative tackle George Fant and antiaircraft tackle Sheldon Rankins -- owed to instrumentality successful the coming weeks.
Why the Jets are vulnerable
A fewer reasons.
Quarterback Zach Wilson is 5-1 arsenic the starter, but there's inactive a consciousness that helium could implode astatine immoderate moment. He lacks the consistency of a battle-tested quarterback. The Jets person the league's 12th-toughest remaining schedule, arsenic their opponents are a combined 41-35. They're lone 2-3 astatine home, truthful the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars won't beryllium gimmes. They feasted connected backup quarterbacks successful 3½ of their six wins.
Do the Jets person the close look connected discourtesy -- without sensational rookie RB Breece Hall -- to win?
It volition beryllium hard due to the fact that Hall provided a big-play dimension, a level of explosiveness that compensated for shortcomings successful different areas. Michael Carter and James Robinson are competent moving backs, but they don't person game-breaking speed. It'll beryllium connected violative coordinator Mike LaFleur to strategy up antithetic ways to marque the moving crippled unpredictable.
The Jets person capable playmakers connected the perimeter to beryllium dangerous, but they request a reliable No. 2 enactment to complement rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Davis tin beryllium that guy, assuming helium gets healthy. They request to find a relation for WR Elijah Moore, who has go the invisible antheral since his ill-timed commercialized request. Moore is excessively bully to beryllium ignored week aft week.
Ultimately, it comes down to Zach Wilson. No doubt, helium has improved from his rookie season, but tin you number connected a backmost with lone 4 touchdown passes successful six games (5 INTs)?
Saleh defended Wilson, saying media and fans are "holding him hostage" due to the fact that of his three-interception crippled against the Patriots successful Week 8. Wilson volition person a accidental to beryllium his manager right, arsenic helium gets a rematch with New England connected Sunday. -- Rich Cimini
New England Patriots (5-4)
Why the Patriots could triumph the AFC East
Health. Coming retired of their bye week, they person astir each of their apical players disposable for the backmost fractional of the schedule. So overmuch of shot tin simply beryllium a conflict of attrition. Having nary starters connected IR this season, and the anticipated returns of starting halfway David Andrews (concussion), starting receiver DeVante Parker (knee) and antiaircraft lineman Christian Barmore (knee) amplify this point.
Why the Patriots are vulnerable
They haven't enactment it unneurotic connected offense, and backmost Mac Jones hasn't looked arsenic comfy successful the revamped discourtesy that playcaller Matt Patricia and quarterbacks manager Joe Judge person enactment together, succeeding erstwhile violative coordinator Josh McDaniels. In five-plus games, Jones is 111-of-168 for 1,140 yards, with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He had 13 interceptions successful 17 games past season.
What needs to hap connected discourtesy for the Patriots to marque the abbreviated leap from past to first?
They are astatine their champion offensively erstwhile they tally the ball, which sets up play-action passing opportunities. That would let them to complement the defense/special teams, which has been the spot of this season's team. This is fundamentally however they pulled disconnected their astonishing tally to the Super Bowl title successful the 2018 season, reinventing themselves precocious that season.
Fewer turnovers (17) volition beryllium a necessity on the way.
"If each idiosyncratic subordinate gets better, we tin benignant of enactment that unneurotic arsenic a team, and evidently arsenic an offense, and past benignant of kick-start the backmost fractional of the twelvemonth here," Jones said. -- Mike Reiss
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