This week all four of the AFC East teams finished their games early in the afternoon with only the New England Patriots getting a 4 p.m. start. Speaking of New England, they came away with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles while the New York Jets beat the Washington Redskins. Then, of course, there was the inter-division match-up where the Buffalo Bills cruised to a victory over the Miami Dolphins. This week on the AFC East roundup we’ll be looking at players within the division who were added in free agency and who made a solid impact in Sunday’s games.
New England Patriots: Nick Folk
There’s nothing wrong with giving kickers some love, especially with Folk who was added by the Patriots in October. He kicked the ball well in windy conditions in Philadelphia, going 3/3 on his field goal attempts. With the score only being 17-10, those kicks made a big difference in the game. Without Stephen Gostkowski, who was placed on inured reserve earlier in the season, it will be up to Folk to step to the plate with kicking conditions getting more difficult as the weather changes.
Buffalo Bills: John Brown
The Bills tried to get Brown a year and a half ago before he went to Baltimore. Brown has been a key piece in the offense and further proved it on Sunday catching nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. He has been a guy the Bills coveted in the passing game and coming into this week he already had more receiving yards in nine games than Zay Jones did all of last season as their leading receiver. If Brown and Josh Allen continue to build their chemistry, they will be a dangerous duo in the playoff push.
Miami Dolphins: Ryan Fitzpatrick
You have to give credit to Fitzpatrick for the fight he brings to this Dolphins team. He played excellent the past two weeks to give them their first two wins of the season and he wasn’t going down Sunday without a fight. He passed for over 300 yards and didn’t throw an interception. Fitzpatrick has been the veteran spark that fires up this team and continues to help the Dolphins avoid making the 2019 season a complete waste.
New York Jets: Ryan Griffin
Griffin had a heck of a day for the Jets with a touchdown and over 100 yards receiving. He was only supposed to be a temporary solution for the team while Chris Herndon served a suspension. Now that Herndon is out for the year with an injury it’s time for Griffin to step up—and he’s not letting this opportunity go to waste. He’s shown that he can be a go-to target for Sam Darnold and be a key part of the passing game. A quarterback’s best friend can be a skillful tight end he can throw to in any circumstance and, if Griffin plays like he did Sunday, he can be that guy.