AFC East sees Miami Dolphins fall while Patriots take bigger lead
The Dolphins lost another heartbreaker on Sunday, while New England won their seventh of the last 8 to extend their lead in the division.
Already two games back of the defending AFC champion New England Patriots, no one was expecting the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East in 2018. However, involved in a five-way tie with a 5-5 record heading into Sunday, the playoffs were still a possibility for Miami. A win at Indianapolis would’ve really swung things in their favor. Unfortunately, the Dolphins could not hold onto a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter, and they fell to the Colts after an Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal as time expired.
It was a devastating loss for Miami, who mathematically, still has a shot at the playoffs just one game back, but realistically, should start preparing for next season. The Patriots, on the other hand, extended their division lead after a win at the Jets, and have all but officially clinched the division. After beginning the season looking like quite possibly the worst team in football, Buffalo continued their trend in the right direction with a win at home over Jacksonville. Here’s a recap of every team in the division, and how they looked in week 12.
This had to be the toughest loss of the season for the Dolphins. Even more so than their loss earlier this year at Cincinnati. Miami had a 10-point lead in the 4th quarter after Kenyan Drake rushed up the gut from 14 yards out to give the Dolphins a 24-14 lead with 13:36 to go in the game. Even though the Colts have a strong offense, led by Andrew Luck, you had the feeling that Miami could pull this one out by the way they were playing.
On the ensuing drive, the Colts did move down the field, but the Dolphins were able to hold them to just a field goal to make it 24-17 with 8:26 to go. It’s what happened on Miami’s next two drives that has everyone up in arms.
Instead of going to the ground game to chew up at least some of the clock, head coach Adam Gase elected to air it out on first and second down of the following drive. After two incompletion, THEN he elects to run the ball in predictable fashion. It was so predictable, in fact, that Drake was not only snuffed for a 5-yard loss, but he re-aggravated his shoulder in the process as well. The entire drive lasted just 29 seconds.
On the Colts ensuing drive, they moved the ball down with relative ease, and eventually scored on an Eric Ebron 12-yard touchdown score to tie the game at 24. It was Ebron’s second touchdown of the day. The Dolphins got the ball back with 4:25 to go, but after a pair of penalties, were forced to start at their own 6-yard line.
This time around, Gase decided to run on first down that went nowhere. On second down, he elected to go with a wide receiver bubble screen that never had a chance. On third down, Gase showed he had no faith in his quarterback, electing to run the ball again, virtually giving the game away to the Colts.
Miami’s defense had a shot to hold the Colts when they had them on 3rd-and-9, and nearly had Luck sacked on the play. Luck evaded it, however, and found Chester Rogers for a 34-yard gain. There’s question as to whether or not there was holding on the play, but it should not have even come to that. That led to what was basically a chip shot for Adam Vinatieri to win the game.
The loss puts the Dolphins at 5-6, and pretty much eliminates their playoff chances at this point. Miami essentially would have to win out if they want to make the playoffs. An improbable task, but if they are to do it, it starts with a home matchup against the Bills next weekend.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are not the same dominant team that we’re used to seeing, but they share a division with the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets, and therefore, will win the division with no competition. There is even the chance that they get home field advantage when it’s all said and done. They may not look like the dominant force they once were, but they still have wins this year over the Chiefs, Bears, Packers, and Texans. If the dominoes fall in their favor, the AFC could once again go through Foxborough.
The Steelers were upset on Sunday by the Broncos, putting New England currently in the #2 spot of the conference, which would give them at least a first round bye. The Patriots have a tough slate of games ahead with the Vikings at home, followed by the Dolphins and Steelers on the road. Miami may not look fierce on paper, but the Patriots have struggled against the Dolphins in the past on the road. The game against Pittsburgh will likely solidify who gets at least a first round bye, if not home field advantage.
New England didn’t play great against the Jets on Sunday, but it’s not necessary for them to. They’ll host the Jets again in the regular season finale, which should be an obvious win. I know I’m supposed to recap how their game went against the Jets, but truthfully, I don’t want to. The Jets are terrible, and they ran out an old Josh McCown in place of injured Sam Darnold for the second straight game. There’s nothing to discuss here.
New York Jets
Please see the Patriots recap above. The Jets are a virtual lock for a top 5 pick in 2019, and with no more victories in sight for the rest of the season, could fall in position for the #1 pick.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo continued to hurt their draft standings for 2019 by winning their second in a row. The Bills don’t really have a shot at the playoffs, but I don’t think you would be able to convince anyone in the organization of that when they’re just two games back. Once considered the worst team in the league, Buffalo has been trending in the right direction, and with a healthy Josh Allen, should be able to squeeze out a couple more victories before the season ends.
The Bills have a really good defense, and with a few more pieces to their offense, could be playoff contenders again in 2019. They showcased that on Sunday with a victory over the Jaguars, 24-21. The game got really heated for both teams there for a minute, which led to the ejections of Shaq Lawson and Leonard Fournette.
Following the mayhem, Jacksonville had the ball first-and-goal at the Buffalo one yard line with the game tied at 14. The Bills defense stood tall, however, and the stand led to Josh Lambo missing a 42-yard field goal. Three plays later, with a pair of penalties, Josh Allen would scamper from 14 yards out to give the Bills the 21-14 lead early into the 4th quarter. Buffalo would add a field goal later on for a two-score lead, and that was enough.
Miami and Buffalo still have a pair of games to play each other this season. It is no longer a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will sweep the Bills, and there’s a good chance that Buffalo may jump the Dolphins in the final standings. The first of these two meetings will take place next weekend.