Last season, we wrote an article about certain streaks the team in the AFC East were hoping to keep going after the conclusion of the 2019 season. This week on the AFC East Roundup, we will be looking back to last season to see how long these streaks were able to last. Some of these streaks were related to offense and defense while others related to the whole success of the team.
Buffalo Bills: The Secondary
At the end of the 2019-2020 season, the secondary for the Bills went seven straight games to end the season without allowing a 100-yard receiver. Unfortunately that streak came to an end in Week 1 with Jamison Crowder having a 115-yard game on seven receptions. A huge portion of those yards came on a screen pass that Crowder took 69 yards to the house. The secondary struggled with preventing one receiver to go off as they allowed multiple receivers to have 100+ yard games on the season. If you factor in tight ends then the number goes up even more as the team struggled with the likes of Mike Gesicki and Travis Kelce. It is an area the team would like to see improve heading into the season.
New England Patriots: Division Dominance
The Patriots came into last season looking to extend their streak of 11 division titles in a row. As we all know, this streak ended as the Buffalo Bills were able to come away with their first crown in a long time. Part of this could be due to the fact that the Patriots had the most players in the league opt out due to COVID-19 before the season. Also, Cam Newton did not seem to be the same player he was the first couple weeks of the season after contracting COVID-19. New England was certainly busy in the offseason, upgrading the receiving group and the tight end position. However, starting a new streak of winning the division won’t be easy as the Bills are looking to repeat and the Miami Dolphins are not too far behind.
New York Jets: Sam Darnold’s Ball Security
Sam Darnold had a stretch to end the 2019 season where he had four straight games with at least one turnover. Luckily for Darnold, this streak ended in Week 2 of the regular season. Even thought the streak ended, the struggles of Darnold continued throughout the season as the Jets had one of the worst records in the league. The result of their 2-14 season was the team electing to trade Darnold to the Carolina Panthers to select Zach Wilson in the first round of the draft this year. With a new coach and a new guy under center, New York is looking to start a streak of wins in 2021.
Miami Dolphins: Winning Streak
We noted at the end of the 2019-2020 season that the Dolphins ended on a two-game winning streak. The picture we were painting was that this team was believing in the culture that then-rookie head coach Brian Flores was installing with his team. The results showed this past season. Miami was a team that just missed out on the playoffs after finishing 10-6. Something that could have impacted the team was veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick missing Week 17 due to a COVID contact after rallying his team to an insane victory the week prior against the Las Vegas Raiders. Miami will be looking to take the final step in their rebuild under Flores by making the playoffs this season.