AFC East remains tight as Miami Dolphins and Patriots win
The AFC East is a tight race six weeks into the season and it will probably remain tight as the season continues to move along.
The hearts may still be in the throats of Dolphins fans after Sunday. Forced to start their backup quarterback, it was a wild ride that ended in an overtime victory against a very good Bears team. In fact, the rest of the AFC East all had wild games in their own rights as well, including a Sunday night matchup that exceeded the hype. We’ll recap all of them starting with the hometown team.
What a crazy game that was for Miami, and it looked like they were going to lose another heartbreaker. The Dolphins were forced to start the game with backup QB Brock Osweiler, with a shoulder injury keeping Ryan Tannehill out of this one. Miami had a laundry list of other inactive players, including DE Charles Harris, which surprised many.
It was widely expected that the Bears defense would come in, and overpower an injury-riddled Dolphins offensive line, but Miami’s line played exceptional on Sunday. The Bears finished the game with zero sacks, and Osweiler had the game of his life. Finishing with 380 yards passing and three touchdowns, Osweiler gave Miami an answer each time it looked like the Bears were going to take over.
Albert Wilson was the biggest benefactor of Osweiler’s great day as he exploded for 155 yards and two touchdowns off of six receptions. To say that Wilson showcased his speed in this game would be a vast understatement. It really is something you have to see for yourself.
Frank Gore was tremendous running the football, as he is doing a great Benjamin Button impersonation since coming to Miami. It helped that Adam Gase was actually willing to run the football on Sunday. It’s almost as if the success of the run game helped to open up the passing game. What a concept.
Gore almost gave Miami the victory in overtime, and arguably, probably should have been given the chance to. Gore was responsible for 47 yards on Miami’s first possession in overtime that saw the Dolphins take the ball all the way down to inside the Bears 1. He was gassed, but he should’ve received the call for a potential game-winning touchdown. Instead, Kenyan Drake was given the handoff, and he fumbled just prior to getting into the end zone.
All signs pointed to another heartbreaking loss with Bears kicker (and former Dolphin) Cody Parkey getting set to kick a 53-yard field goal for the win. Parkey pushed it right, however, and Miami was given another opportunity. Drake helped to redeem himself some with a combined 22 yards on the next possession as Miami took the ball down to the Bears 29-yard line with 3 seconds to go. Rookie Jason Sanders then became the hero as he nailed the 47-yard attempt right down the middle.
The Dolphins are now 4-2, and remain in a first place tie with New England in the division, with the Patriots holding the tiebreaker for now. Miami is now 3-0 at home this season, and will host the Lions next week.
New York Jets
It was a shootout for the Jets in New Jersey as they hosted Andrew Luck, and the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets opened the game with a defensive score as Morris Claiborne intercepted a Luck pass from 17 yards out. New York would pick off Luck two more times in this contest, and create four turnovers overall.
Both teams combined for over 800 yards of offense, which sounds like an exciting BIG XII game, but the Jets would prevail 42-34. Rookie QB Sam Darnold looked sharp as he threw for 280 yards, and two touchdowns, completing 24 of 30 pass attempts. After rushing for over 300 yards last week against the Broncos, Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell had much quieter days, but the Jets still finished with over 100 yards rushing as a team.
The Jets continue to hang around behind the Dolphins and Patriots at 3-3. They will host their third straight home game next weekend with Minnesota coming into town.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are now 2-4, but they continue to surprise many. They almost snuck away with another victory Sunday at Houston. The Texans jumped out a 10-0 lead in the first half, but the Bills came back and took the lead early in the 4th quarter, 13-10, with a Zay Jones touchdown.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Josh Allen was forced to exit the game with an elbow injury in the third quarter. As a result, they had to go with Nathan Peterman, who has been terrible since he started last season. Despite his touchdown pass to Jones, Peterman threw two interceptions, including a pick six late in the 4th that would be the game winner for Houston.
With the game tied at 13, Buffalo had the ball with less than a minute and a half to go. Texans Johnathan Joseph intercepted Peterman’s pass, and brought it back 28 yards for the score. Peterman threw another interception with 35 seconds left to seal the game for Houston.
Buffalo’s defense has been a pleasant surprise since their first two games, but their offense continues to struggle to put points on the board, averaging just 12.7 points per game. They travel to the 1-5 Indianapolis Colts next week, but Buffalo will need to find a way to score points if they want to come away with a victory.
New England Patriots
The Jets and the Colts may have had their own Big XII impersonation, but it failed in comparison to the highly anticipated matchup between the Patriots and the Chiefs. This game really delivered as two high-powered offenses battled it out, but as is usually the case in these types of games, the team that had the ball last prevailed. On the back of a Stephen Gostkowski chip-shot field goal, the Patriots gave the Chiefs their first loss of the season, 43-40.
The Patriots looked strong in the first half, holding the Chiefs out of the end zone, and forcing them to settle for field goals. New England led at the half 24-9, but Patrick Mahomes showed why many view him as the quarterback of the future in this league. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes in the second half, three of which went to speedster Tyreek Hill. On his final touchdown pass, Mahomes found Hill deep down the center of the field. Hill then turned around, bouncing it outside, and that was all she wrote as he sped down the sideline for a 75-yard score. The New England faithful by the end zone decided to welcome Hill with a middle finger and a beer to the face. So classy.
As great of a play as it was, Hill scored with 3:02 remaining in the game. We all know that is a lifetime for Tom Brady. The Chiefs defense is their biggest weakness, and it showed Sunday night as they were no match for Brady and the Pats. Rookie Sony Michel had a big game with 106 yards and two scores on 24 carries. On the final possession, the Patriots made it look easy to get in possession for the game-winning field goal.
For Dolphins fans, it’s a disappointment that the Chiefs couldn’t pull it out as it would’ve given Miami sole possession of first place in the division. On the bright side, there is only one remaining undefeated team remaining after the Chiefs loss. The Patriots will have another tough task next week when they travel to Chicago to take on a much-improved Bears team.