AFC East surprisingly unpredictable in 2017
Bills top division while Jets tied with Patriots for second
Just what on Earth is going on in the AFC East?
The Buffalo Bills (3-1) are in sole possession of first place. The New York Jets — widely believed to be the front-runner for the worst record in the league — are tied for second at 2-2.
The team they’re knotted up with: the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who were projected by some to go undefeated.
That’s hardly business as usual in a division the Patriots have claimed for the last eight years (and 13 with quarterback Tom Brady in the lineup).
“People (said) that we suck a few weeks ago, now everyone’s like: ‘Oh, the Bills are good,’ ” rookie receiver Zay Jones said Wednesday. “You have to take everything with a grain of salt and not really take all that in. In house, we have process and we know what we have. We are a damn-good football team.”
The Bills have been one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season and are coming off consecutive victories against the Denver Broncos and at the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. Despite the encouraging start, many in Buffalo are preaching restraint.
“Nobody gets crowned, or is champs, in five games,” running back LeSean McCoy said.
Yet for a team that has not won the division since 1995 and boasts the NFL’s longest active postseason drought at 17 years, excitement might be hard to temper.
Since the 2000 season, Buffalo has been in sole possession of first place in the division for 11 of a total 293 weeks, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Before this year, New England had not been in second place or worse past Week 3 since 2010.
“I’ve had this feeling that I don’t want to jump the gun,” Bills center Eric Wood said Sunday. “I still think (the Patriots) will win a whole bunch of games this year. For us to win the division, we’ll need to win a lot of them, too. I’m very leery ever looking past just the next game.”
One answer for the unexpected standings could be in the staggering turnover that has whipped through rosters.
The Patriots, for example, lost six starters through free agency or retirement. In their place, the franchise has added players such as cornerback Stephon Gilmore and receiver Brandin Cooks. While New England retooled with talented players, an adjustment period to scheme and culture has followed.
In Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers, New England’s secondary broke down several times yet again. With injuries and other losses taking a toll, the defense has shown it needs time to develop under Bill Belichick after giving up a league-worst 324 passing yards per game.
“Bill says it best all the time: ‘Communication is a two-way street,’ ” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. “One guy talks. One guy listens. I don’t know many ways that you can do that any better. We have hand signals. We talk. When we talk, we have ways that guys know you got it by you confirming, so I don’t know if there’s many ways that we can change how we do that.”
The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, trail everyone else in the division at 1-2, having played one game fewer than its division foes because of Hurricane Irma. Even after the loss of quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a season-ending knee injury in August, the start has been jarring for a team that claimed a wild-card berth last year.
“Nobody cares about last year,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said this week.
This AFC East shakeup is entertaining, unpredictable and new. But with just two games between division foes having been played so far, there’s plenty of potential for even more change.
“Take that and 25 cents and get yourself a cup of coffee,” Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams said Sunday of his team’s current standing. “That’s what it’s worth.”