AFC East week two rankings

Two weeks are in the books for the AFC East, and the rest of the NFL but we are starting to get a clearer picture of what might transpire for the Miami Dolphins and their division. If the Dolphins can get their act together on the field the AFC East could be a rollercoaster ride all season.

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As of today, and this is ONLY week three with no games played yet, the AFC East has two teams undefeated and two teams at .500. This isn’t so much about the teams records however, it’s about what we expected coming into the season and what we have seen thus far from each of the four teams in the AFC East.

New England Patriots

The Patriots are not exactly who we thought they were. The team lost a good portion of last years starting secondary in free agency. The team also lost portions of their defensive line most notably Vince Wilfork. Yet the defense has played very well even though they gave up late scores to Buffalo last week. In week one they held Pittsburgh to 21 but the game was never really as close as the score indicated.

The bread and butter for New England is their offense and Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski look as though they are going to shatter some records this year. Gronkowski is as close to un-coverable as you can be. The Bills thought they could handle him and couldn’t. The emergence of Dion Lewis as the team running back has given the Patriots some much needed balance but it’s the passing game that has them sitting on top.

Once again we find the Bill Belichick coached team playing in mid-season form which is something the rest of the AFC East needs to take note of.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are also not exactly what we thought they would be. Their defensive unit is one of the best in the NFL despite last weeks game against New England. The team plays harder and more physical than any other team I have watched so far this year. The front defensive line is stellar and even savvy veteran lines are going to have trouble keeping them from disrupting plays. A better than average linebacker unit is starting to show signs of elevation and their corners are solid.

Rex Ryan is probably the biggest change to the mental make-up of the team. The Bills did not made a lot of defensive changes on defense but are no longer lacking the direction they have in the past couple of years. Ryan still needs to quit down and let his players play rather than given opposing teams something to talk about.

Offensively the Bills are a much improved team. They have more weapons and for now are getting a lot more out of their quarterback that anyone would have thought. The Bills are putting themselves into a position to make a legitimate run at the AFC division but to do so will mean beating the Patriots in Foxboro later this season. Until the Bills can do that, they will have to settle for 2nd place.

New York Jets

The Jets are probably the second most well coached team in the division. Todd Bowles is entering his first season as a full time head coach and he has done a very good job of reeling in the players that ran wild under Rex Ryan the previous seasons. Bowles is a very respected coach and the Jets are playing solid football. They are getting offensive production to meet the defensive production.

The Jets opened the season against the Cleveland Browns and posted 31 points in week two they took on the Indianapolis Colts and held Andrew Luck to one touchdown beating the Colts 20-7. This is not a fluke. The Jets have the best cornerback tandem in the NFL, a top NFL defensive line, a very good offensive line, and veteran linebackers who compliment both the corners and the defensive front.

Led by Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets offense seems to be hitting it’s own stride as well. Chris Ivory is running strong and Fitzpatrick isn’t making the mistakes he has been known for. The Jets have an opportunity to challenge both the Bills and Patriots but they are not quite as rounded as the Bills and that could hurt them later in the season. The Bills and Jets still play each other twice so we will know a lot more about both teams when those games come up on the schedule.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were supposed to be the number one challenger for the division but poor play on both sides of the ball has left them with a terrible bitter taste in their mouths. The question is can this team rebound? They lack quality starters on the offensive line, at linebacker, at cornerback, and at safety. Add that to the poor play of the defensive line and you have disaster.

The Dolphins are not matching up well right now with any of their division rivals and that could be a problem. They face two of the toughest defenses in the league the next two weeks. Buffalo this Sunday and the New York Jets a week later in London.

These games were supposed to be a part of a soft opening schedule but both the Bills and Jets are proving they are ready to fight for the division. That leaves Miami as the 4th ranked team in the division. A strong game this week and another the following will change that and elevate the Dolphins back to their pre-season rankings but they can’t afford to play like they have thus far and that is the biggest challenge the team faces heading into their final two games before the bye week.