Week 3 is in the books and for the teams in the AFC East it has been two sides of the same coin with the four teams. On one side you have the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots who were trying to build on their 2-0 start to the season. On the other side are the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins who were trying to get their first win of the season after an 0-2 start. Let’s see how the teams did on the AFC East Roundup.
Buffalo Bills
It was an up and down day for the Bills during their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. They started off strong by getting out to a 14-0 lead, but then the team stalled in the second and found themselves behind 17-14. Give this team credit, however, as Josh Allen led another game-winning drive connecting on a big play to rookie Dawson Knox before Frank Gore pounded in a rushing touchdown. Then the defense held firm on the last drive as Tre’Davious White picked off Andy Dalton for the second time to seal the victory. The Bills are 3-0 for the first time in a while but the fun will be next week when they host the New England Patriots where the league will see what Buffalo is made of.
New England Patriots
The Patriots never had a problem dealing with the Jets while cruising to a 30-14 victory. Tom Brady continued to do Brady things, completing 28 passes for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Their defense continues to dominate, only allowing the Jets to score when the game was already out of hand. It will be interesting to watch the injury report for the Patriots going forward, however, as they are banged up on the offensive line and in their receiver corps.
As for the Jets, it has been a struggle with Sam Darnold still out recovering from mono. Luke Falk didn’t even pass for 100 yards and Le’veon Bell couldn’t even crack forty yards rushing. If there’s any bright spot to come away from this game it’s the fact that New York managed to cover the spread.
Lastly, there are the Dolphins who got pounded once again, this time 31-6 by the Dallas Cowboys. Unlike the Jets, Miami was unable to cover the 20-point spread and the positives are getting harder and harder to come by as the team clearly seems to be looking ahead to the future. Josh Rosen got his first start for the team passing for an even 200 yards on 18 completions.
So as it stands, Miami and New York may already be packing it in as they each find themselves 0-3. On the other hand, there will be a big-time game next week as the undefeated Patriots will take on the undefeated Bills. It may only be Week 4, but don’t be surprised if this game ends up deciding who will be standing on top of the division when the season ends.