The AFC East hasn’t lived up to all the hype, but as the 2023 season hits the stretch run, one of the most fascinating races will be a fight at the top between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins.
While the New England Patriots and New York Jets look to play the role of spoiler, the Bills and Dolphins look like teams ready to make a deep playoff run. Let’s start with those Bills who crushed the Dallas Cowboys 31-10 on Sunday.
After a 6-6 start, Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense suddenly look like that team most defenses feared coming into the season. With Allen behind center, the passing game is always dangerous with Stephon Diggs on the outside and two talented tight ends in Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid making plays in the middle of the field. But what has made the offense more complete over the last few games is the compliment of the run game.
AFC East hype: Buffalo Bills stampeding offensively at just the right time
In taking over as offensive coordinator, Joe Brady has the offensive dominating in ball control. Led by a career day from James Cook who ran through the Cowboys defense for 179 yards, the Bills have been calling more running plays which has made them a more efficient offense as obviously displayed the last two weeks with big wins over the Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.
Are the Bills back to dominance? With the way Brady has called the offense and how the defense has stepped up to compliment the reemergence of the Bills’ offensive efficiency, they look like a tough team to beat no matter who they play, where they play.
In a season in which he has taken his own slack for the team’s mediocre play, Bills head coach Sean McDermott had nothing but praise for his team’s preparation in all three phrases of the game.
"The preparation during the week, the guys did a phenomenal job, along with the staff. I need to credit the staff," McDermott said, via the team’s official website. "Good game plans on all three phases. You know, in order to prepare to play like that, it takes a lot of preparation by the coaches, by the staff. The players put in a lot of time. They knew the challenge."
The next challenge is to try to overrate that team down in South Beach.
More AFC East hype: Miami Dolphins defense looking playoff ready
Shutting down and shutting out the New York Jets is no great feat to brag about given that team’s ineptitude offensively but have to give the Miami Dolphins defense some respect after a 30-0 shutout win over the Jets.
There was no let down with the victory as the Dolphins increased their record to 10-4 to stay a couple games ahead of the surging Bills in the AFC east. With a gauntlet of teams coming up in the schedule, including those Bills, the Dolphins will have an opportunity to prove they can play with the big boys and establish themselves as a legit contender in the AFC.
Offensively, the Dolphins are a top-notch team, but when the offense has been shut down, the squad from South Beach has been beat around a bit. That’s where the defense needs to step up and keep their offense in games when they are struggling, or the opposing defense is simply shutting them down. Led by Bradley Chubb, who had 3 sacks on Sunday, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had nothing but praise for his defense.
“I think it was really the whole team. The whole team – I can't overstate how – I don't know, it was a punch to the gut last week, and I think in a situation where it wasn't because of lack of effort or attention to detail,” McDaniel said during his press conference Sunday. “So to be able to go into a game and to have so many different question marks all week, for no one to bat an eye and for guys to go have fun playing football without the anxiety of what's induced from last week, it takes a special unit of people. I thought that Eli Apple did an awesome job, really jumping in the reins. I thought Bradley Chubb was phenomenal, obviously, but guys like Brandon Jones who had to learn the system during the year as he was recovering from a season injury last year. There's a ton of guys on defense.”
Again, it was the Jets, but the Dolphins defense was able to bounce back after that embarrassing fourth quarter letdown against the Tennessee Titans a week prior. With teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Bills awaiting, the defense is going to need to be up to the challenge, especially with the playoffs looming.
New York Jets news: No 2023 comeback for Aaron Rodgers
The New York Jets announced on Wednesday that the team is activating Aaron Rodgers to the 53-man roster so he can continue to practice with the team.
Rodgers, who tore his Achilles at the start of the 2023 NFL season, made a quicker recovery than expected. But with the team out of playoff contention, the veteran quarterback won’t see the playing field for the remainder of the season, but his presence will help both the quarterback and the team moving into the offseason says Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
“It’s all part of his rebab,” Saleh told reporters. “Just having him on the field is a plus for everybody, for him and his teammates.”
While there was some hope Rodgers would see playing action this season, those dreams were dashed when the Jets fell out of playoff contention. So, sorry Jets fans, it will be Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle or Trevor Siemian the rest of the season.
With a 5-9 record, it’s now time for the Jets to think about what they need to build around Rodgers in 2024. With a top 10 draft pick, another offensive weapon or building the offensive line are top priorities for the Jets. Also don’t be surprised if the Jets snag one of the young quarterbacks entering the draft to learn behind Rodgers as it appears evident they need to move on from Wilson, the No. 2 selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
New England Patriots and the Zappe case of Jekyll and Hyde
Take the first half of Bailey Zappe’s performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots look like they may have something at quarterback. The second half of those games, well, have served as a reminder of why the team must draft a quarterback talent like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
In completing 17 of 19 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the team’s 27-17 loss against the Chiefs in Week 15, Zappe proved the Patriots’ offense can be functional and competitive, but in the second half he was just 6 of 12 with 39 yards passing highlighted by a poorly thrown interception that looked like the kind of mistakes that sent Mac Jones to the bench.
So, what’s up with Zappe in the second half? It most likely has something to do with the opposing defenses adjusting, but it also has a lot to do with the Patriots reverting to conservative play calling that puts them in the mindset of playing not to lose instead of playing to win.
“You go back and look at the film, like we did [Monday],” Zappe explained during an appearance on WEEI’s Jones and Mego. “And it’s always those certain things that happen. You know, a mistake here or there, like the interception. Instead of throwing it out of bounds, I try to force it. Had I thrown it out of bounds, who knows how that drive goes. They get seven points off of that, we lost by 10. You know how the game goes, who knows? So, it's just little things like that, and that’s stuff that’s– it’s easily fixed because it’s just a mental error. For me, it’s just as easy as throwing the ball out of bounds and going onto 2nd and 10. So it’s just fixing those things and then moving on.”
Those drive killing mistakes and game-changing moments has been the epitome of the Patriots’ offense all season long and it appears it doesn’t matter who is out there under center. With three games remaining, the challenge for Bailey Zappe and the offense is to see if they can put together a complete game offensively. That will be a tough task going up against the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills the next two weeks.
Are the Bills for real, can the Dolphins secure a top spot in the AFC? Can the Jets and Patriots quarterback situations get any worse as the 2023 NFL season comes to an end?
Those are the remaining questions left and if you are a writer and interested in covering AFC East news, draft content as well as provide your insight on the happenings around the NFL, NFL Mocks is the site for you. To apply to join the team as a paid contributor, click here to apply!