So much for the AFC East being the NFL’s primo division.
The Dolphins have lost twice, and have yet to beat a good team. The Bills and Jets have lost three times.
And, bringing up the rear, it’s the Patriots with five losses.
At this point, it’s not so much about the Patriots being bad. It’s about them having some company. For those clinging to the notion the Patriots can still make it a season, that’s the avenue of hope. It’s not like anyone is running away with the division.
For starters, the Dolphins don’t look quite as invincible as they did at the start of the season and are dealing with a slew of injuries. The Bills, who have won the division three years running, have struggled, although they seemed to right the ship a bit with a win Thursday night against Tampa Bay.
As for the Jets, they’ve won two straight coming off a bye week, but they’re without Aaron Rodgers. And they’re banking on Zach Wilson staying flub-free the remainder of the season. Talk about wishful thinking.
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Cutting to the chase, looking at the AFC East and conference as a whole, the Patriots aren’t dead in the water. Not yet anyway.
They’re still at the bottom of the division, but thanks to beating Buffalo last Sunday, they still have a pulse.
The question is what happens from here. Can the Patriots continue to climb out of the gutter, or will they head back to purgatory?
All of which brings us to Sunday’s game in Miami.
Beat the Dolphins, and the Patriots are back in business. Lose, and the lights are just about out.
The players won’t say it publicly, but they know what’s at stake. They know about momentum. They also know about when the nail is in the coffin and it’s time to play out the string.
With a softer schedule after Miami (Washington, Indianapolis, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers) there’s certainly a path toward turning it around and getting back in the hunt in earnest. If they can stack some wins, who knows where that’ll take them. But they have to start by knocking off Miami to have a chance.
“It’s about keeping that taste in our mouth, wanting to win again,” tight end Hunter Henry said during the week. “We want to execute and go get a big win, especially in the division again this weekend.”
It won’t be easy. The Dolphins are coming off a humbling loss to the Eagles and will want to get back on track.
And with the game in Miami, that just adds to the degree of difficulty. It’s a place where wins have been hard to come by, especially for the Patriots.
Post Tom Brady, they’re 0-3. The last 10 trips, even with Brady playing the first seven? It’s 2-8. Add in the fact that Tua Tagovailoa is 5-0 against the Patriots, and this seems close to mission impossible.
But if they can somehow beat the Fins in the heat, they’ll inch closer to being back in the conversation. They’ll still be a long shot to take the division, and or grab one of the three wild card spots, but their pulse will be beating even stronger.
With a win, they’ll be 3-5, but more importantly, they’ll be 3-1 in the division. That would come into play in various tiebreaker scenarios.
But let’s not put the cart ahead of the horse.
Last week, the Patriots played their best game of the season. All three phases pitched in. But for the purposes of keeping the ball rolling, the performance of the offense is what’s left a glimmer of hope. It just can’t end there.
Mac Jones has to have another mistake-free performance against the Dolphins for the Patriots to have a chance. He has to once again be like a point guard, and smartly distribute the football to the desired spots.
With the offensive line providing better protection, Jones certainly looked more comfortable. He made his reads, and got rid of the ball quickly. Because of that, the Patriots were able to get off to a quick start, something they haven’t been able to do all season.
“We executed. We moved the ball well. We stayed ahead of the chains, we played from ahead,” said Henry. “We did a lot of things that we’ve been wanting to do all year that we finally executed.”
The win, the first true comeback of Jones’ career, has lifted his confidence, and given his teammates the belief he can deliver in those clutch situations. Just that alone changes the dynamic.
Said Henry: “We were able to bounce back from adversity and flip it in the end. We were able to execute in a high pressure situation when everything wasn’t going our way like it had been almost all year. That was big for us.”
The Dolphins, who are unbeaten at home (3-0) this season, have injury issues on the offensive line, running back, and receiver. But they may also have a few players returning, namely cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots, appearing on MassLive’s “Eye on Foxborough” podcast, isn’t ready to cash in the chips on the Patriots. Every team in the AFC East has issues.
“We’re starting to see a leveling of the playing field between those four teams. The Patriots are in fourth place right now, but they’re within striking distance of being in first,” Wilcots said. “I’m not writing anyone off here. I think the Eagles showed you the Dolphins aren’t super human. They can be slowed down.
“And knowing Bill Belichick as I do . . . they always get better over the course of the season. They don’t get worse. They get better. They’re going to get better. There’s still a lot of football left to be played.”
For the Patriots, the narrative will change if they’re able to beat Miami.
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