The AFC East has become an interesting division. Usually, the Patriots seem to dominate the East and make the playoffs easily, but this year, so far anyway, it is an intriguing three team race. The Pats have struggled at times this year, and aren’t the team they were in the past, while the Bills and Dolphins seem to be emerging and creating some competition.
Here’s a look at this week’s matchups for the AFC East teams.
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, Sunday, 1PM, ET.
The Buffalo Bills are 4-3 and right behind the Patriots in the standings. They are coming off a tight 17-16 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in which Kyle Orton hit wide receiver Sammy Watkins in the end zone with one second remaining to secure their fourth win in dramatic fashion. The Bills quarterback overcame six sacks, an interception, and a fumble to lead his offense downfield and finish the game with two touchdown passes, both to the rookie Watkins.
After starting the year 1-0, the Jets have now lost six straight; the most recent being against the Patriots in Week 7, 27-25. The Jets had an opportunity to win the game with a 58-yard field goal attempt, but the kick was blocked by the Pats. New York was able to utilize the run game behind Chris Ivory as he averaged 5.1 yards per carry, but in the end the defense wasn’t able to hold off Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.
This week’s matchup should be an interesting one for both teams. The Bills have surprised a bit this year, and despite their 1-6 record, the Jets have shown competitiveness against their division rivals. Head Coach Rex Ryan is 7-3 against the Bills after taking over in 2009, but his continued success is in jeopardy this week. The Jets will get some help offensively with the debut of Percy Harvin, who looks to add some spark to this Jets team. New York will also have to execute in the passing game, as the run game will take a hit this week with the Bills defense ranked fourth against the run.
As for the Bills, they will be without C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson for some time. Spiller had surgery to repair his collarbone on Monday, and Jackson is expected to miss at least four weeks with an injury to his groin; the loss of both will greatly impact the success of the Bills offense moving forward. That being said, they have Bryce Brown as a backup, who with the Philadelphia Eagles, averaged 4.6 yards per carry the last two seasons.
Final Prediction: Bills 23 Jets 20
Chicago Bears at New England Patriots, Sunday, 1PM, ET
The Patriots are riding a three game win streak and sit atop the AFC East with a 5-2 record. New England has found themselves in the middle of quite a few close games with subpar teams, but have gotten the job done when needed. Unfortunately, they have suffered a lot of injuries this season, including Stevan Ridley, Jerod Mayo, and most recently, Chandler Jones who leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
The 3-4 Chicago Bears are coming off a 27-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins and are in third place in the NFC North. This is the first time the Bears have played the Pats in New England since November of 2006, in a game the Patriots won 17-13. The Bears are 3-1 on the road this year, but the Pats have won 12 in a row at Gillette Stadium, and Chicago is 0-3 all time against New England. While the Bears have suffered on the injury front as well, they will get back D.J. Williams, Shea McClellin, and Jermon Bushrod.
Brady is 3-0 against the Bears in his career, while Jay Cutler is 0-2 against the Patriots. When it comes to this week’s matchup, the Patriots have a huge advantage playing at home. They’ve had a lot of success against the NFC North, and they always seem to make the big play when needed. The Bears also commit a lot of turnovers, 13 this year to be exact, and the Patriots defense will look to take advantage of that.
Final Prediction: Bears 24 Patriots 31
Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, 1PM ET
There were high hopes and expectations for the Dolphins entering this year, but they haven’t quite lived up to it with their 3-3 record. They started off strong, but showed some struggles in the weeks following. Last week, however, they had a big 27-14 victory against the Bears in the hostile Chicago environment to improve to 3-3. Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins were able to bounce back nicely after a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, as Tannehill threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jaguars are no longer winless after a big win against the Cleveland Browns last week. The now 1-5 Jags were able to upset the Browns 24-6 in Jacksonville. Rookie Blake Bortles was efficient going 17-31 with 159 yards and a touchdown, and Denard Robinson ran for a career high 127 yards. It was the Jags first win since December 15, 2013.
This week, the Dolphins have a clear advantage. While the Jaguars were able to pull off the upset against the Browns, Miami has played extremely well and will look to keep pace in the AFC East.
Final Prediction: Dolphins 27, Jaguars 17