AFC East Buzz: Belichick rumors, Bills in turmoil, Dolphins in prime position and then there's the New York Jets

Miami Dolphins have a chance to take control of the AFC East

As for Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, the challenge for his squad is proving they can beat the top teams in the league.

After losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the Dolphins and their dominance over lesser components have come into question.  With that high-powered offense and opportune defense, Miami still sits on top of the AFC East, but with the Bills struggling, the Dolphins really haven’t taken advantage and secured the division.

Sitting at 6-3, the Dolphins host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11.  The Raiders are .500, but it should be an opportunity for Miami to get their swag back against a rejuvenated team that McDaniel noted as a challenge with his team coming off a bye week.

“It's a talented team. They have well-coached fundamentals in all three phases,” McDaniel said of the Raiders. “And I think what you're seeing is a team that it means something to play each and every game because they feel that much more a part of the journey when you have as much adversity as one can have in the middle of the season, which is a staff change. Kudos. I think it says a lot about the players in the locker room. I think it says a lot about their talent, but also the type of people that they have that they've been able to band together and rip off a couple wins, which is the only thing that can make you feel better when your system is kind of unraveled."

The Dolphins offense should get a boost with the potential return of electric rookie running back De’Von Archane and potentially Robert Hunt and Robert Jones along that offensive line.  All players are week to week but should put the offense in a good position going forward.

As for beating the top teams in the conference, a win over the Raiders wouldn’t move the needle as far as that questioning goes, but it is the first of a string of winnable games before they get their next challenge in back-to-back-to-back weeks against the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills to end the regular season.

New York Jets flying under the radar

Imagine where the New York Jets would be in the AFC East if only they had an offense?

With the other AFC East squads hogging the headlines, the Jets have kind of flown under the radar the past few weeks.  Coming off a 16-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Jets missed an opportunity to climb above the .500 mark despite an offense that has struggled all year long.

In an AFC East matchup against the Buffalo Bills looming, the Jets, like the Bills are trying to find some consistency offensively.  Unfortunately for the Jets, Zach Wilson isn’t on the same level as Josh Allen so the mountain is higher to climb for the Jets.  While a coaching change is out of the question as of this week, Jets head coach Robert Saleh knows some sort of change has to come.

"We are looking at things with regards to schematically what we can do differently and trying to continue to find more ways to feature the things our guys are comfortable with – gameplan permitted," Saleh said Monday, via the team’s official website. "As far as meetings go, meeting structure, practice habits or practice plans, we are looking at everything guys. As far as personnel changes, we are looking at making changes, but I am going to keep that here with me. We are looking across the board to find some ways to generate offense."

The Jets were able to outgain the Raiders in Week 10 as far as yardage goes but couldn’t find a way to punch it in the endzone, which was the difference in the loss to the Raiders.  With the defense playing at a high level, if the Jets can find a way to figure it out with Wilson as the signal caller, they can still have a say in the AFC East, especially if they keep their head above water by the time Aaron Rodgers return (if he returns this season).