The AFC East is normally one of the more consistent divisions in the NFL, but this weekend, it became an odd division. The consistently good Dolphins blew a two-score lead on Monday Night Football to the below .500 Titans. The Patriots finally looked like they had a quarterback for one half. And the Bills and Jets came out strong at a time when both were expected to fold. It was one of the odder weekends for football in the AFC East.

New England Patriots 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers 18

The wild weekend for this odd division started on Thursday Night Football when the Patriots had one of their best offensive performances of the season just four days after one of their worst. Bailey Zappe completed 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. New England led 21-10 at the half, and the Steelers only scored eight points in the fourth quarter giving the Patriots their third win of the season. This came after New England was shut out for the second time this season the previous Sunday. Still, Bailey Zappe set himself apart from Mac Jones and earned the starting job against the Chiefs.

Buffalo Bills 20 | Kansas City Chiefs 17

Speaking of Kansas City, Chiefs coaches and players were up in arms following their loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes both complained about the offensive offsides call late in the game. While a rare call, it was also the correct call as Kadarius Toney lined up offsides. Still, the call didn’t cost the Chiefs the game as Buffalo outplayed them almost all day. Josh Allen completed 23 of 42 passes for 233 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It wasn’t a spectacular day for Buffalo, but they played better and deserved the win. Still, many thought the defending Super Bowl Champions would have their way with the Bills who have been struggling as of late. The win may be what Buffalo needs to turn their season around. Buffalo was favored to win the division again, but they have struggled to keep pace with the Dolphins.

Miami Dolphins 27 | Tennessee Titans 28

Meanwhile the Dolphins, despite leading the division, were the only AFC East team to lose this weekend. Miami entered the Monday Night Football game against Tennessee with a three-game lead on the second place Bills. The Dolphins led the Titans 27-14 with less than three minutes left in the game. However, the Titans marched down for two late touchdowns to win their first road game this season. Miami has been labeled a pretender by many analysts this year due to them not beating a team with a winning record and this late lost to a sub .500 team will not help their image.

New York Jets 30 | Houston Texans 6

It was a tale of two halves for the New York Jets. After making numerous headlines due to the decision to start Zach Wilson again, and reports he was reluctant to start, both teams struggled out the gate. The game was scoreless at halftime, and many wondered if this would be the worst game of the weekend. But, in the second half, Wilson found his groove. The beleaguered quarterback completed 27 of 36 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns en route to the 30-6 victory over the playoff contending Texans.

AFC East Standings

1. Miami Dolphins 9-4
2. Buffalo Bills 7-6
3. New York Jets 5-8
4. New England Patriots 3-10 (eliminated from playoff contention)

What’s Next?

The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets square off in their second meeting of the season. Will Miami finally prove to be a playoff contender? Or will the Jets come up big again and right the ship? The Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that was originally scheduled for Monday night. However, not even the power of the defending Super Bowl Champions and the possibility of Taylor Swift could keep this game from being the first ever Monday night game to be flexed to Sunday. And the Buffalo Bills will host the Dallas Cowboys in a game that many believed to be the best of the weekend when the schedule was initially made. Now, the question: will the AFC East remain an odd division?

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