AFC East power rankings entering Week 4: Dolphins' problems go from bad to worse

Entering the 2024 NFL season, the AFC East was a hot-topic division in the NFL.

The Miami Dolphins were poised to take over the division, and the Buffalo Bills' gutted roster was a huge question.

What was supposed to be a two-team race between Miami and Buffalo became a three-team race, with Aaron Rodgers staying healthy beyond four plays. Now, fans wonder if this is a three-team race at all. After three weeks of football, that doesn't appear to be the case.

AFC East power rankings entering Week 4

4. New England Patriots (1-2)

The Patriots showed a lot of fight in Week 1 when they upset the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals will enter Week 4 winless, so now that opening victory doesn't look nearly as impressive. The Patriots have a good defense but the offense continues to sputter as one would expect with a new system, new quarterback, and new head coach.

In Week 2, the Patriots put up a much better fight against the Seattle Seahawks than the Dolphins did, losing by three points. In Week 3, they played the Jets in New Jersey and lost 24-3. It wasn't a good game for the Patriots from start to finish.

3. Miami Dolphins (1-2)

The Dolphins are not getting any better, and this past weekend was a horrible display of offensive ineptitude. Miami looked lost and confused from the opening drive, and not everything can be blamed on Skylar Thompson. Mike McDaniel's play-calling was inconsistent and made little sense. With the Dolphins able to move the ball on the ground, McDaniel opted to throw far more despite the game not being out of hand until the end.

The Dolphins' loss to Seattle was embarrassing and exposed many problems on the roster. The quarterback position is in complete disarray, and Chris Grier's lack of attention to his roster is becoming increasingly evident.

A loss to the Tennessee Titans next week could send the Dolphins to the bottom of the AFC East.

2. New York Jets (2-1)

The Jets haven't played anyone of huge significance outside of Week 1 when they were beaten by the 49ers. New York has managed to beat the Titans by seven points and then defeated the Patriots in Week 3.

New York is only going to go as far as Aaron Rodgers will take the team. For now, he is doing enough, but it is hard to see this Jets team continuing to win games as the season progresses. They benefit from a third-place schedule, but the season will get a lot tougher. Their next three games are against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Buffalo Bills.

1. Buffalo Bills (3-0)

So much for the Bills gutting their roster and being non-competitive. So far this year, the changes the Bills made have had no impact on their play. In fact, you could argue they are playing a lot better than they did last season. Josh Allen is looking like the best quarterback through three games in the entire NFL.

To be completely fair, the Bills almost got beat in Week 1 by the Arizona Cardinals, destroyed a horrible Dolphins team in Week 2, and ran all over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. Buffalo hasn't played a good team yet in 2024.

Are the Bills one of the best in the AFC or have they faced bad teams? They get a big challenge against the Baltimore Ravens next week.