Miami Dolphins

When the 2022 season began, the AFC East was considered a foregone conclusion. It was the Buffalo Bills' world, and the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets were just living in it.

However, a funny thing has happened on the way to Buffalo's supposed coronation. After getting stunned by the Jets in Week 9, the 6-2 Bills are less than a game up on New York and Miami (both 6-3), which outlasted the Bears in Chicago. With the Patriots also taking care of business at home Sunday against the Colts to improve to 5-4, every team in the AFC East is above .500 after nine weeks.

A division that was supposed to be a runaway is wide open heading into the second half of the 2022 regular season. More than that, the AFC East has become the most intriguing division race in the league.

Week 9 wasn't supposed to go this way for the Bills. After downing the Green Bay Packers last week, the Bills had won four straight, including a statement win at Arrowhead Stadium over the Kansas City Chiefs. At 6-1, the Bills had the best record in the AFC and were regarded by most as the best team in the conference. Buffalo entered Sunday's games as a double-digit favorite over the Jets, which were coming off a loss to the Patriots.

The problem is that no one told the Jets they were supposed to lose. In fact, there are a lot of things people apparently forgot to tell the Jets about their prospects in 2022.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone outside the Jets locker room who gave the team a chance to do much of anything this season. But despite being without starting quarterback Zach Wilson to open the season, the Jets hit Week 9 as a 5-3 team.

While the Jets had a winning record, though, the team lacked a true statement win. New York blew out the Dolphins back in Week 5, but that was when Miami was forced to roll out its third-string quarterback.

Gang Green got its statement win Sunday.

New York's upset win was the team's season in a nutshell. Despite losing rookie running back Breece Hall to a season-ending ACL tear a few weeks ago, New York piled up 175 rushing yards against one of the NFL's best defenses. New York's defense played Buffalo's explosive offense as well as any team has this season, limiting the Bills to a season-low 17 points, including just three in the second half.

As has been the case all season long, the Jets got big contributions from first-round rookies Garrett Wilson (eight catches, 92 yards) and Ahmad Gardner (seven tackles, interception). Wilson didn't light it up through the air, but he didn't make mistakes, either.

And most importantly, despite playing in a back-and-forth game as a heavy underdog, the Jets never panicked. As head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game, this is a team that believes it can win games.

"We're too young to flinch," Saleh said. "I know a lot of people are going to be surprised, right? I don't think there's a person surprised in the locker room."

To say that's a change in culture is an understatement.

For the Bills, the loss was hardly the end of the world. Buffalo remains the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the front-runner in the division. The Bills possess a top-three offense and a top-three defense and may well be the most complete team in the league. They just didn't look it on Sunday, and after a shaky performance against the Jets, Bills quarterback Josh Allen put the blame for the loss squarely on himself.

"It's tough to win in this league when you're playing a good team and your quarterback plays like s--t," Allen said. "Made some bad decisions tonight. Really cost our team."

It isn't panic time in Buffalo—not even close. But the Bills' two losses this season are both inside the division. The Jets and Dolphins are both right on their heels, and each of them has a head-to-head win over the Bills. The margin for error in Western New York is gone, and next week the Bills have to take on a one-loss Vikings team.

While the Jets were stunning the Bills at Met Life Stadium, the Dolphins were taking care of business in Chicago. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had another big game, throwing for 302 yards and three scores while drawing praise from head coach Mike McDaniel.

"The growth has been unbelievable in how he's playing the position, learning the whole system and then how he's handling the ebbs and flows of natural, in-game momentum," McDaniel told reporters. "Saw it again today."

Granted, it helps to have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to throw to, but Tagovailoa has made massive strides as a passer in 2022. And while the Dolphins are 6-3, all three losses came in games where Tagovailoa either sat out or was forced from the contest. Tagovailoa has finished six games this season. The Dolphins have won all six.

Then there's the 5-4 Patriots, who have seemingly been all but forgotten. New England pummeled the Colts 26-3 Sunday with a dominant defensive performance that left head coach Bill Belichick absolutely beaming while speaking to reporters.

"We got pressure on early downs and created some long-yardage situations," Belichick said. "Anytime you have good pass rush, you have good coverage. And anytime you have good coverage, you have good pass rush."

OK, so he wasn't actually beaming. But he was surely smiling on the inside, because while the Pats may not have the offensive firepower of the Bills and Dolphins, they have a defense that will keep them in most games.

There isn't a bad team in the division. There are no easy outs. And with plenty of games against one another still to be played, the second half of the race in the AFC East should be fascinating.

The AFC East isn't the only division in the league high on intrigue. There are three teams in the NFC East with at least six wins, including the league's last undefeated team. The NFC West and AFC West haven't lived up to preseason expectations, but both divisions are loaded with talent.

But if drama is your thing, the AFC East is the place to be. Because whether it's the loaded Bills, the explosive Dolphins, the upstart Jets or Darth Hoodie's Patriots, there isn't a bad team to be found. It's a race that could (and probably will) go down to the wire.

And as it turns out, the ending to that story may not be as preordained as we thought.

Tua Tagovailoa's historic performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 has been immortalized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback's jersey from the 42-38 victory is on display in Canton, Ohio.

Tagovailoa's jersey sits next to the one his Miami teammate Jaylen Waddle wore when he broke the NFL record for most receptions by a rookie in Week 18 of the 2021 season.

The Dolphins trailed 35-14 entering the fourth quarter against the Ravens, but then Tagovailoa tied an NFL record with four touchdown passes to help Miami erase the deficit.

Tagovailoa finished the game 36-of-50 for 469 yards and tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes.

The last quarterback to throw at least six touchdown passes in a game was Patrick Mahomes in Week 11 of the 2018 season. The NFL record for touchdown passes in a game is seven, shared by eight players, including Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Nick Foles.

Tagovailoa's showing against the Ravens served as a breakout game for himself as well as the Dolphins. He has thrown for at least 350 yards in two games this season after posting three games with at least 300 yards in the previous two years combined.

The Miami Dolphins made the biggest splash of the 2022 trade deadline by acquiring linebacker Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos. Now, they've solidified the 26-year-old as the cornerstone of their defense for years to come.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dolphins and Chubb agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $119 million with $63.2 million guaranteed. The deal keeps him in South Beach through the 2027 season.

The 2018 No. 5 overall pick played the 2022 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal after failing to agree to a long-term extension with the Broncos.

Miami acquired Chubb hoping he will be a difference-maker on the defensive line. He has 26 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in eight games this season with Denver.

The 2020 Pro Bowler is one of the most respected edge-rushers in the NFL. He made an immediate impact as a rookie when he finished with 60 total tackles, 12.0 sacks and 19 tackles for loss. However, injuries have hindered him from consistently producing at the level he established in his first year.

Chubb was limited to four games in 2019 after suffering a partially torn ACL. He missed the start of the 2021 season after undergoing ankle surgery in September and only appeared in seven games that year.

When healthy, the NC State product is able to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, and Miami did the wise thing by locking him up for the next five years.

With Chubb in the fold, the Dolphins have the potential to be perennial contenders in the AFC.

Tua Tagovailoa isn't mincing words—the Miami Dolphins believe they can win a title this season.

"I think throughout OTAs and throughout training camp, we could see the potential that we had as a team, offensively and defensively," he told reporters Wednesday.

"We're not afraid to talk about Super Bowls here. We're not afraid to talk about going to a playoff game, having the opportunity to go to one, and then hopefully winning one.

"I would say I have full belief that we are capable [of winning a Super Bowl]."

The 5-3 Dolphins have featured one of the NFL's most dangerous offenses when Tagovailoa has been healthy, highlighted by the dynamic wideout duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And the addition of edge-rusher Bradley Chubb in a trade deadline deal should seriously bolster the defense.

Expectations are high for these Dolphins, even as they look to track down the top two teams in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) and their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills (6-1). After an offseason of moves that also included bringing aboard offensive tackle Terron Armstead and linebacker Melvin Ingram, the Dolphins are loaded up for a playoff push.

"I've always just viewed it as always just trying for us to put together the best team we can," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier told reporters regarding the various moves. "So for us, I think we have a lot of good players. I think Mike [McDaniel] and this coaching staff have done a great job of working with these guys, implementing their scheme and doing things that give us a chance to win. I'm not into predictions and everything, but I do think we have a good team that has a chance to compete and win some games in the future."

The Dolphins will have two games they'll expect to win in the next two weeks, against the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns, before a Week 11 bye. But games against the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Bills, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets down the stretch will represent major tests.

Yes, the Jets—currently 5-3, and 40-17 winners over these Dolphins in Week 5, albeit with Tagovailoa sidelined—will be a major test. Hard to believe that a Week 18 matchup between the Dolphins and Jets could have major playoff implications, but the 2022 season has been full of surprises.

Whether the Dolphins can finish the campaign atop the NFL world remains to be seen. Tagovailoa, at least, is a believer.

The Miami Dolphins didn't trade a first-round pick for Bradley Chubb just for a rental.

General manager Chris Grier told reporters Wednesday he expects to have a long-term contract extension in place for the Pro Bowl linebacker "shortly."

"When you do a deal like that for a player, you always would like to—from our perspective when we do business—we would like to have something done, and we anticipate having something finished up here shortly," Grier said.

Chubb is making $7.1 million in 2022 while playing out the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. He could be an unrestricted free agent in March, though it's likely Miami would use its franchise tag if no long-term deal is reached.

The Dolphins also added running back Jeff Wilson Jr. at the deadline as part of an all-out push at a deep playoff run. Miami enters Week 9 at 5-3, but that record is misleading; the team is 5-0 in games quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has started and finished.

The third-year quarterback currently leads the NFL in QBR (78.7) and has two of the league's most scintillating receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Adding Chubb will give the Dolphins the equivalent of a Hill-Waddle tandem on the defensive edges. Second-year linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who will line up opposite of Chubb in the Dolphins' revamped front seven, is currently fourth in the NFL in pass-rush win rate. Chubb is third.

This is a roster that has all the makings of a Super Bowl champion.

The Dolphins should be able to hand Chubb a massive sum of money immediately while structuring the deal so it can be reworked once it's time to give Tagovailoa and Waddle new contracts. Assuming the team picks up their respective fifth-year options, Tagovailoa is under contract through the 2024 season and Waddle will be on his rookie deal until 2025.

The Miami Dolphins were one of the major players at the 2022 NFL trade deadline, swinging a splashy deal to acquire Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos. With the pickup, the Phins have loudly announced their intent to contend both this season and for the foreseeable future.

Chubb provides Miami with the high-end edge-rusher the club has sorely lacked. He had been one of the few bright spots for the disappointing Denver Broncos this year, notching 26 tackles—four for loss—16 pressures, eight QB hits, seven hurries, 5.5 sacks and three knockdowns across 409 defensive snaps.

The 26-year-old is having a resurgent campaign after missing more than half of the 2021 season with injury. While Chubb failed to record a single sack in the seven games he was healthy for last year and earned an abysmal 45.0 PFF grade, the site is giving him a much more respectable 74.9 grade for his efforts in 2022.

Chubb will reinforce a Miami defense that has recorded a mere 15 sacks across eight games. The Dolphins are the only squad among the 12 above.-500 teams with 15 or fewer sacks, showing how important getting after the quarterback is to success in the modern NFL.

Jaelan Phillips has tallied the most sacks for the Phins this year, but his three are tied for the 49th-most in the league. Chubb is tied for No. 13 in that category, while no other Miami player is in the top 80.

Miami’s poor edge-rushing capabilities are a major reason the team has struggled against the pass this year. The Dolphins have given up 262.1 yards per game through the air, with only six clubs conceding more aerial yardage on average.

Since Miami isn’t scoring—the team averages a middling 22.3 points per game—at the same rate as the Baltimore Ravens (26.0 PPG), Buffalo Bills (29.0) or Kansas City Chiefs (31.9 PPG), the squad had to improve its ability to keep its opponent off the board. Having Chubb bearing down on opposing signal-callers should go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.

Assuming this move pushes the 5-3 Dolphins over the top and eventually into the postseason after they came tantalizing close for two straight years, Chubb will be the ideal weapon to deploy against the slew of elite quarterbacks blocking Miami's path to a Super Bowl.

Kansas City has made it to at least the conference championship game in each of the last four years, and it could very well get there again in 2022. The Chiefs are off to a hot 5-2 start despite trading Tyreek Hill to these Dolphins and appear poised for another deep run. Patrick Mahomes has found a way to thrive without his top playmaker and is leading the league in touchdown throws.

The few opponents who have found success against Kansas City’s offense have generally brought waves of pressure against its quarterback. The most notable example was in Super Bowl LV when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pressured Mahomes on 37.5 percent of his dropbacks, hurried him 11 times, hit him seven times and sacked him thrice on the way to a 31-9 blowout victory.

The Phins might also meet up with a familiar foe in the Bills (6-1) come playoff time. Josh Allen’s evolution into a leading NFL MVP candidate has turned Miami’s AFC East rival into one of the most explosive offenses around.

Miami proved it can beat Buffalo this year, however, having accomplished the impressive feat in Week 3 with a 21-19 victory. Allen threw for 400 yards and two scores but needed a whopping 63 passing attempts to reach that mark and was sacked four times.

Considering Allen is 6-0 when he’s been sacked two times or fewer this year and he’s averaged three sacks taken in his three career playoff losses, it’s readily apparent that putting him on his back is one of the bigger keys to toppling the Bills.

Sending an athletic 6’4”, 275-pound pass-rusher who ran a 4.65 40-yard dash—putting him in the 90th percentile for his size—after the likes of Mahomes and Allen may not always result in lots of sacks, but his presence will allow the team to generate pressures without having to blitz, something it largely has been unable to accomplish in 2022.

The dynamic pairing of Chubb and Phillips will open things up schematically for defensive coordinator Josh Boyer. The Dolphins have been relying heavily on the blitz—using it on 28.4 percent of defensive plays—to try to get some pressure in passing situations. Their rushers haven't been getting the job done, evidenced by a concerning No. 29 ranking in pressure rate. With Chubb on the field, the team can finally afford to drop more players into coverage.

If Chubb is as good of a fit as he seems on paper, it would be a no-brainer move for the Dolphins to extend his contract this offseason. The fifth-year veteran is playing out the final year of his rookie deal.

While he’ll likely command a large contract—Spotrac estimates Chubb’s value at slightly north of $13 million per season—the pass-rusher will be worth every penny if he can elevate Miami to a serious level of title contention.

And the Phins should want to extend him after effectively going all-in to acquire him. The MMQB’s Albert Breer noted that the team had already traded away two of the three first-rounders it received from the San Francisco 49ers last year—effectively getting Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill in exchange for them—and just utilized the final one to bring in Chubb.

With only a handful of selections in the 2023 draft, none of which are in the first round, it’s clear that the Dolphins' rebuild is officially over. If Chubb ends up being the missing defensive piece this organization has been waiting for, the rest of the league should be on notice for as long as the star pass-rusher remains in Miami.

In the eyes of oddsmakers, the Miami Dolphins boosted their Super Bowl hopes the most ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Miami is now +3000 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win Super Bowl LVII, up from +3500. That bump came after the Dolphins agreed to acquire the Denver Broncos' Bradley Chubb and San Francisco 49ers' Jeff Wilson.

They aren't the prohibitive favorites with the pair of deals, but they clearly addressed areas of need.

In the case of the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings, the deadline was about further solidifying their contender status.

The Ravens moved for the best off-ball linebacker on the market, Roquan Smith. The Vikings gave Kirk Cousins another aerial target by trading for Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Minnesota and Baltimore are both at +1800, tied for the sixth-best odds in the field. The Ravens actually saw their odds decline slightly from +1600, so the addition of Smith may not be winning over the skeptics.

The Bears lost Smith but found Justin Fields a wide receiver by acquiring Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It could be huge for Fields' long-term development but will have marginal short-term returns.

At +50000, Chicago is tied for the third-worst Super Bowl odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

The Miami Dolphins are acquiring running back Jeff Wilson from the San Francisco 49ers for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Wilson effectively replaces Chase Edmonds, who was included in the outgoing package the Dolphins sent to the Denver Broncos for Bradley Chubb, per Schefter.

Wilson has run for 468 yards and two touchdowns through eight games. He did well as San Francisco's primary ball-carrier following Elijah Mitchell's MCL sprain.

Mitchell should return at some point, and the arrival of Christian McCaffrey made Wilson expendable. Still, it's somewhat surprising the Niners couldn't get more than a fifth-rounder for the 26-year-old.

In Miami, Wilson will reunite with former teammate Raheem Mostert and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who coached him for four seasons in San Francisco. That should help him adjust to his new surroundings.

As a backup to Mostert, Wilson is an upgrade over Edmonds, who was averaging 2.9 yards per carry, and that could mean a more equal split in the backfield. Mostert (101) had more than double the carries of Edmonds (42), a gulf that may not carry over to the new-look running game.

Trading for Tyreek Hill was a sign of the Dolphins' ambitions heading into the season, and that belief was well founded with the team in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt.

Dealing for Chubb and Wilson on trade deadline day represents Miami's attempt to fortify its ranks for the second half.

A busy NFL trade deadline day has its blockbuster.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Denver Broncos are trading star pass-rusher Bradley Chubb and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for San Francisco's 2023 first-round pick, Miami's 2024 fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds.

It's a big addition for Miami's defense. Chubb, 26, is in the midst of a strong 2022 campaign, registering 26 tackles (four for loss), 5.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed in eight games.

He burst onto the scene as a rookie, posting 12 sacks in 2018, though he's yet to replicate those type of numbers. Injuries have played a part—he missed 10 games last year due to bone spurs in both ankles and 12 games in 2019 after tearing his ACL—and he was a Pro Bowler in 2020 after registering 7.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits.

Miami now has a dangerous pair of playmakers off the edge, as Chubb will play opposite Jaelan Phillips. The 23-year-old has posted 23 tackles (four for loss), three sacks, nine quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries in eight games. He's a year removed from notching an impressive 8.5 sacks as a rookie.

It's a win-now move for the 5-3 Dolphins, who have a dangerous offense and now have solidified the defense in preparation for a potential playoff push.

For the 3-5 Broncos, the deal likely came down to both a reluctance to sign Chubb to a long-term extension and the allure of receiving a first-round pick in exchange for his services. Chubb will be a free agent after this season and will look to sign a lucrative deal, one the Broncos perhaps weren't interested in offering.

Denver isn't completely punting on the 2022 season, however, reportedly springing another trade for edge-rusher Jacob Martin later on Tuesday:

Martin, 26, has 1.5 sacks on the season and 15 overall in his five-year career.