AFC East: Week four recap

The Miami Dolphins played early Sunday morning for those of in the states and took a brutal loss to the Saints. The rest of the AFC East completed their games when the rest of the NFL kicked off at 1:00 p.m.

Miami falls to 1-2 on the season with their loss to the Saints and that loss has Miami all by themselves in the last place in the AFC East. Miami has not had a good go around this year. A missed field goal in their season opener gave the team their only win of the season. In the last two weeks the Dolphins have been outscored 40-6 with their lone touchdown coming as time expired in the Jets game.

On the season Miami has two touchdowns. One by Kenny Stills in week one and the Jarvis Landry touchdown at the end of the Jets game. Despite the ugly losses, Miami is not that far behind the rest of the AFC East. Here is what the weekend held for the rest of the division.

Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons

The Bills went into Atlanta and no one expected them to win. The Bills however didn’t bother to listen. The Bills improved to 3-1 on the season after beating the Falcons 32-17. The Bills scored two touchdowns to match the Falcons and added three field goals.

Buffalo held the Falcons offense in check. Atlanta lost both starting wide-receivers in Muhammad Sanu and Julio Jones during the game which limited their offensive output. Still the Bills held their own against a team that dismantled the Green Bay Packers a week before.

Buffalo holds a slim lead in the AFC East but for a team that was not expected to be a threat this season, they are off to a very good start and that first place spot? They hold it alone.

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots

What is wrong with the Patriots? A team that stacked its roster during the off-season find themselves tied for 2nd in the division with the New York Jets. New England was held in check offensively as the Panthers defense kept the game close for their offense.

New England put up 30 points which for them is typically enough to win. The Patriots defense is showing a lot of holes and the Panthers were able to put up 30 themselves. In the waning seconds of the game, Cam Newton engineered the Panthers offense into field goal range and as time expired Graham Gano kicked a 48 yard field goal to hand the Patriots not only their second loss of the season, but their 2nd loss at home as well.

New England is showing signs of vulnerability for a team many predicted would go undefeated in the regular season. Last week the Patriots needed a late 4th quarter touchdown with seconds ticking off to beat the Houston Texans.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets

The Jets needed an additional quarter to beat the Jaguars as they took the visiting team to overtime. On the legs of Bilal Powell who rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, the Jets improved to 2-2 on the season and are now on a two game win streak.

New York was a team that many believed would be playing for a first overall draft pick next April but the defense is stepping up considerably and the offense is not making mistakes. During the off=season the Jets opted to cut salaries to get their salary cap under control. So far it’s a pleasant surprise for their fans.

The current standings have the Bills on top and while the Jets are not considered a major threat, a team that learns to win can be dangerous. Something Miami opponents learned last year during their push to the post-season.