Week 2 of the NFL preseason provided plenty of fireworks for the AFC East. As a division, the teams combined for a total of 136 points with three out of the four scoring at least 30 points in these games. With only one week left to go before the start of the regular season, it was a great sign for all four franchises to see their offenses putting points on the board.
With the Buffalo Bills it was a revenge game for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, since it was his first time playing the Chicago Bears since they parted ways at the end of last season. The Bills let Trubisky play the entire first half, passing for 221 yards and a touchdown. He would have had another passing touchdown but the call was overturned to mark the receiver down at the one-yard line. The passing game consistently got the ball to the goal line but it was fullback Reggie Gilliam who continually punched it in, scoring two rushing touchdowns on the day. Josh Allen still has not seen any preseason action so it remains to be seen if he gets a couple of series in the preseason finale.
For the New England Patriots, the quarterback competition isn’t getting any easier as both Cam Newton and Mac Jones played well against the Philadelphia Eagles. The two combined to complete 21 of their 28 passing attempts with a touchdown. Again, the Patriots went with the rushing attack as the team had over 200 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the night. For now, it does appear that Newton will be the starting quarterback come Week 1 since he has had the majority of first-team reps in practice and has started both preseason games.
The development of New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson continues to be on the display as he decimated the defense of the Green Bay Packers. Wilson was an efficient 9 of 11 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the touchdowns went to former Bills tight end Tyler Kroft. Wilson got off to a slow start in training camp but he’s showing consistent improvement week after week, which is promising for a team trying to get back in contention. With the defense losing a key player in Carl Lawson due to a torn Achilles, it’s important for the offense to keep trending upwards with their rookie quarterback.
Rounding up the offensive fireworks in the division was Tua Tagovailoa leading his Miami Dolphins to a dominant victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Tua was sharp, passing for 183 yards and a touchdown as he prepares to make a leap ahead of his second season. The team did have a scare early on as top pick Jaylen Waddle got his leg taken out during a run play. However, after getting looked at by the team’s training staff, he was cleared to go back into the game. Running back Myles Gaskin looked sharp with one touchdown on the ground and another through the air.