AFC East NFL Week Two Round-up

This early in the season records don’t normally amount to much when it comes to deciding who is the best and worst in a division. This past Sunday saw a wide range of upsets across the NFL viewing landscape including an upset of the Miami Dolphins by the Buffalo Bills, as small as the spread was.

By mid-season fans will have a better idea of what their teams really are. Will they be a team destined for a playoff birth, a division win, or will they be an early exit from playoff contention? For now fans can take comfort in knowing that it’s only week two and there is a lot of football left to be played this season. One loss does not a season make.

So who is the best in the AFC East? Buffalo at 2-0? The Jets who almost pulled off a huge victory over Green Bay? New England who destroyed the Adrian Petersonless Vikings? Let’s take an honest look after two weeks of football.

New England:

Why they are the best: The Patriots have of course Tom Brady and one of the best game planning coaches in the NFL, Bill Belichick. They have a much improved defensive unit that is now anchored by Darrell Revis. The Patriots have been the annual AFC East winner for so long it’s pointless to count but they have yet to win a Super Bowl since  being accused of filming game signals. While the team may be one of the top ranked teams in the NFL there is still a lot of work to do and a division that is set to dethrone them.

After two weeks the Patriots are 1-1 and were manhandled by the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago before getting to .500 in week two against a Minnesota Vikings team that will be the Jekyll and Hyde of the NFL this year. The Vikings needed to have a big game but came up far short. In fact you could point to several Viking miscues that led directly to New England points. The Patriots found themselves the beneficiaries of turnovers and poor offensive play by the Vikings. With two weeks in the books it’s still difficult to see if the Patriots are the team that forced Minnesota into mistakes or were handed the game by mistakes. Is this a team destined to once again win the division or the team that got beat ugly in week one.

New York Jets:

Why they are the best: The Jets boast a stifling defense that for the better part of the day on Sunday week two, held Green Bay out of the end zone. Their offense is very much improved and the team has rallied behind Rex Ryan who got a one year reprieve on his career in New York after last season. Unfortunately for the Jets they are inconsistent and although they beat a not very good Oakland Raider team in week one they fell on their face in the 2nd half of week two giving up not only a big lead but the game.

The Jets are going to be tough opponents all season but until they find a way to be consistent they will not outright challenge for the division. The Jets so far look like a team that will hang around the division lead hoping that someone else makes a mistake rather than a team that takes it upon their shoulders to win it.

Buffalo Bills:

Why they are the best: For now the Bills are the best in the AFC East. They are 2-0 and have not only won both games to open the season but have done so against tough opponents. In week one the Bills, a heavy underdog, came back to tie and eventually beat the Chicago Bears. The same team who last night (Sunday night) came back to beat the San Francisco 49’ers. The Bills are a tough team. Of all the AFC East teams the Bills are probably the most physical by far. Unlike the Jets the Bills are physical on both sides of the ball.

The Bills have a shot to stay atop the AFC East as they are fit to challenge the Patriots for the division. Simply put if the team can get better and more consistency from it’s key offensive foundation players they will be a tough team to beat all season. The Bills are still relying on E.J. Manuel and while he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes he has yet to fully shoulder his team to a victory. He is a caretaker of an offense that is guided by it’s running game. Manuel doesn’t have to be the franchise he only needs to be their quarterback. For now.

Miami Dolphins:

Why they are the best: For starters the Miami Dolphins are the only team that has beaten the Patriots this season. There is something to be said about that. In addition they lost to a very good and physical team in the Buffalo Bills. That loss however could be characterized as much a loss driven by Miami’s own mistakes as much as Buffalo’s forcing the Dolphins into mistakes. Fundamental breakdowns caused three turnovers on special teams, two of which led to Bills points. The Dolphins defense did a good enough job to win the game despite the errors but too much time on the field and too much inconsistency from the offense eventually broke the unit down. If the Dolphins can stop making their own mistakes they could be the best in the division.

With two weeks in the books the Dolphins appear to be the most inconsistent of the four teams and at the same time appear to have the most talent to run away with the division. The fault in the Dolphins is staring them back from the reflection of the mirror. Joe Philbin is not a physically teaching presence and he is not a bold head coach. You will not find him making outlandish acts on the sideline and at times it seems as though he plays and coaches not to lose as opposed to taking control of a game and winning. That could be the reason the Dolphins fail this season.

Standings:

Buffalo – 2 – 0

New England – 1 – 1

New York – 1 – 1

Miami – 1 – 1

My rankings:

Buffalo

Miami

New England

New York