AFC East: Takeaways From Week Four
1/4 thru the season, here is where we stand
by Steve Callahan | @SCallahan4091 | Mail@3PSMag.com
As Tom Brady was serving his four-game suspension, the first four weeks were looked at as
critical for the entire AFC East. Will the New England Patriots falter without Brady? Can the
Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins take advantage of their scheduled games against the Patriots
without Brady? Can the New York Jets play better than they did after their 10-6 season?
Four weeks into the season and we have a better idea of the state of the AFC East. The Patriots
have proved no one should ever doubt them, the Jets and Dolphins have come out flat, and the
Bills are showing fight under Rex Ryan. Here are a few takeaways from last weekend’s games.
Are The New York Jets Done?
Jets fans knew the first seven games of their schedule were going to be very difficult, but none
envisioned the Jets to play this badly. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions in the team’s
27-17 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, one week after he threw an astonishing six against the
Kansas City Chiefs. Fitz is now ![]()
averaging an interception per 15.4 passing attempts, but he is not
the only problem. The Jets’ secondary has been terrible this season, ranking 27th with 1,140
passing yards allowed.
It doesn’t get any easier, as the Jets will now travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, one
week after Ben Roethlisberger threw for 300 yard and five touchdowns on the Kansas City
Chiefs. After the Steelers, the Jets will then travel to Arizona for a Monday Night game against the
Cardinals, whose 1-3 record does not come close to representing their talent. If the Jets don’t fix
their problems very soon, they can be staring at a 1-5 record, essentially ending their season in
October.
The Bills Pull Off The Upset
The Bills’ season started out as bad as they could have imagined, losing to the Baltimore Ravens
and New York Jets. With their backs against the walls, Rex Ryan rallied his team to two huge
wins over the Cardinals and Patriots, ![]()
to put the Bills right back in the thick of things. LeSean
McCoy had another very productive day, going over the 100-total yard threshold for the second
straight week. The Bills third down defense caused problems for Jacoby Brissett and the Patriots’
offense all day, holding the Pats to 1-12 on third down and also only allowing 13 total first downs
in the game. After back-to-back wins over two preseason Super Bowl picks, the Bills will travel to
Los Angeles to take on the surprising 3-1 Rams.
Excuses Are Running Out For Ryan Tannehill
It was pretty surprising when the Miami Dolphins gave Ryan Tannehill a $96 million contract
extension through 2020 with $45 million guaranteed. Tannehill has never really proved anything to
warrant that money, as the Dolphins now might already be regretting giving out all that
guaranteed money. ![]()
Tannehill’s career road record fell to 13-22 after the Dolphins’ 22-7 loss to the
Bengals. Tannehill couldn’t get anything going, throwing for just 189 yards and posting a QB rating
of 16.6. Tannehill has talented receivers in Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, and Kenny Stills, as
well as a head coach that made a name for himself for his productive offensive schemes. Ryan
Tannehill isn’t all to blame for the Dolphins 1-3 record, but he will receive majority of the blame if
the Dolphins continue to fail to meet winning expectations.
The Golden Boy Is Back
at Gillette Stadium (opened in 2002) in their 16-0 loss to the Bills. ![]()
The Tom Brady Revenge Tour
is now officially open for business, as Tom Brady will make his season debut against the 0-4
Cleveland Browns. Browns fans should wear all black to this game, because they might be
attending a funeral. Look for Brady to come back guns blazing and remind everyone that he is still
the best quarterback in the league.
