Bills looking way up again in AFC East

BUFFALO, N.Y. There was some early-season angst about the New England Patriots, to the point that it appeared the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins or even the New York Jets might challenge them in the AFC East.

It’s time to forget about that. The Patriots are back to being the Patriots, and the rest of the division is back to being the Bills, Dolphins and Jets.

Sunday’s 41-16 victory in Denver upped the Patriots’ record to 7-2. They have had their issues, especially on defence, but the defending Super Bowl champs have now won five straight games, and are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC’s best record.

It appeared there might be meaningful games in the AFC East down the stretch. The Bills were prospering under their first-year coach, Sean McDermott, with a 5-2 start. The Dolphins were 4-2 at one point. The Jets, accused before opening day of being in tank-theseason mode and in pursuit of a top pick in the NFL draft, won three of their first five games.

Those teams have reverted, though. The Jets are 4-6, the Dolphins took a 4-4 record and a twogame losing streak into Monday night’s game against the Panthers in Carolina, and the Bills are in a downward spiral, with their record dropping to 5-4 after Sunday’s 4710 loss at Orchard Park to the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints ran for 298 yards and a team-record six touchdowns. The Bills had no answers.

“This is not easy to take,” McDermott said. “(It’s) not an easy pill to swallow, especially at home. Our fans deserve more.”

The Bills still can regroup and chase a wild-card berth, with a relatively soft road date with the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday. But the division race? That could already be over.