There’s cause for celebration this week because every AFC East team came away with a win in Week 2. It doesn’t happen very often in the division, and it’s even more significant considering that two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the AFC are in the East. Let’s recap how these four teams pulled off their victories.
It was smooth sailing for the Buffalo Bills in their 41-7 win against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. This was sort of a revenge game for the Bills after falling to the Titans last season, when they came away short at the goal line. Quarterback Josh Allen’s connection with wide receiver Stefon Diggs was unstoppable with the Titans down a starting cornerback. Diggs had 12 receptions for 148 yards and a trio of touchdown catches. On defense, the team held running back Derrick Henry to only 25 yards on 13 carries, plus a goalline touchdown. However, Buffalo didn’t come out of this game unscathed. Cornerback Dane Jackson had a serious neck injury that required immediate medical attention, while safety Micah Hyde and linebacker Matt Millano are both dealing with stingers in their necks. Certainly not good news considering the short turnaround before their game against the Miami Dolphins.
Speaking of the Dolphins, they pulled off a dramatic win against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. At the end of the third quarter, Baltimore had a 35-14 lead with a 98.6% win probability. In the fourth quarter though, wide receiver Tyreek Hill exposed the back end of the Ravens’ defense for a pair of touchdowns, with wide receiver Jalen Waddle later catching the game winner with under a minute to play in regulation. Some now consider this game the turning point in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s career. He posted an incredible career-high stat line of 469 yards and six TDs through the air. On the other hand, the defense did allow 38 points and were lucky that the offense came alive late to earn the victory.
The Dolphins may not hold the best comeback of Week 2 though, That honor may belong to the New York Jets. At one point late in the fourth quarter, the Jets had a .1% chance to come back against the Cleveland Browns down 13 with less than two minutes to go. What followed was a long touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to wide receiver Corey Davis and an amazing onside kick, which brought the Jets back in the game. Later in the ensuing drive, Flacco connected with rookie wide receiver Garret Wilson for a touchdown with 22 seconds left to stun the Browns. With quarterback Zach Wilson getting ready to come back from his knee injury, perhaps their is a quarterback controversy in the works.
The New England Patriots were able to bounce back after a tough Week 1 loss to the Dolphins with a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a solid game for the defense only allowing 14 points and 243 total yards of offense. Last week, we talked about how it was important for the Patriots to get the running game going to make it easier on the passing offense. Running back Damien Harris got the message rushing for almost five yards a carry and a touchdown. His running mate, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for over five yards a carry, helping create manageable situations for quarterback Mac Jones to get the job done through the air.
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