AFC East Week 7 Highlights: Tyreek Hill makes history, Jets resiliency and boy can Josh Allen run!

The AFC East had some star performance in Week 7.  Here’s a look at some of the performance that stood out as the 2023 NFL season hits the midway point.

In a 31-17 victory over the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins increased their record to 6-2 with an upcoming matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs looming. 

Falling behind early 7-0 to Mac Jones and the Patriots, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense wasted no time tying the game up.  Tua delivered this 42-yard bomb to Hill that had Patriots defenders lost in the dust.

While Bill Belichick usually finds a way to contain or at least limit Hill, that wasn’t the case on Sunday as Hill hauled in eight catches for 112 receiving yards and the TD highlight above.  With the performance, the man known as Cheetah went over the 1,000 yards receiving mark just midway through the season and is well on his way towards that lofty goal he set for a 2,000 yard season.

“It feels great.  God is great.  I’ve been calling my shot since I came in this league,” Hill said following the game, via ESPN.  “A lot of people doubted me, saying I couldn’t do this and do that, but it’s all about believing in yourself.”

In totaling 1,014 yards through the first eight games of the season, Hill has made NFL history as the first player to do so in the modern era. 

A win is a win in New York: Jets showing resiliency

Don’t look now, but the New York Jets are 4-3 and making the AFC East a three-team race after a 13-10 win over the New York Giants in overtime.

It took some last second heroics by the Jets who were actually down 10-7 with just seconds left in regulation.  With all the struggles of Zach Wilson, the third-year quarterback showed his poise getting the team in position to kick a game-tying field goal with this nice rollout pass:

Wilson finished the game completing 17 of 36 passes for 240 yards and a TD, but that last throw in regulation and getting his team down the field to spike the ball with just 1 second left may be the highlight of his young career.

“In situations like that, with what we went through, all it takes is a play, actually all it took was two plays,” Wilson said, via the team’s official website.  “I had no doubt we were going to win the game in OT.  That’s why there’s no quit.  You have to have a short-term memory, come off the field, go back out and keep going.”

In a slugfest at Metlife Stadium, the Jets have suddenly found themselves back in the hunt with that resiliency starting to define who this 2023 New York Jets team is.

Josh Allen does it with his arm and legs in Bills win over Buccaneers

After a last-minute loss to the New England Patriots, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills bounced back nicely against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cap off Week 7. 

In a 24-18 win over the Buccaneers, the Bills got that offensive firepower back rolling again as Allen threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the game.  The highlight was a rushing touchdown by Allen that showed off his dual-threat ability.

In all, Allen distributed the ball nicely to all his weapons, including rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid who caught this first career touchdown.  But it is the impact of what he can do with the ball on the ground that makes Josh Allen an x-factor in who wins the AFC East.

“Hey, Josh is a unique football player,” Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said of Allen.  “And he’s extremely obviously talented as a passer and explosive as a runner.  So, I just feel like to be able to let him go ahead and utilize those traits is great for us.”

The Bills do want to limit how much their star quarterback is running the ball.  The team signed free agent running back Leonard Fournette to help strengthen the Bills rushing attack.