AFC East

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.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took responsibility after his team's 20-17 road loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

Allen completed just 18 of 34 passes for 205 yards, no passing touchdowns and two interceptions. He also took five sacks.

The Bills signal-caller did dominate on the ground with 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, but Buffalo's offense went dormant in the second half.

Buffalo gained just 43 total yards on four drives that ended in a field goal, an interception, a punt and a turnover on downs.

The Bills entered the game as 10.5-point favorites, but this appeared to be a tough matchup on paper to some extent given the rainy and windy weather on the road against a stingy Jets secondary led by shutdown rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner.

The pass defense ultimately won the day. Outside of Stefon Diggs (five catches, 93 yards), no Bills receiver did much against the Jets. Gabe Davis (33 yards) was second in receiving.

Despite the tough game, Allen is playing at an MVP level. He entered Sunday completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 19 touchdowns (six interceptions) and 2,198 passing yards alongside 306 rushing yards and two scores.

The Bills are also excelling thanks to a 6-2 record that has them atop the AFC standings. They'll have another difficult matchup next Sunday, though, when they welcome the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo.

Josh Allen has been the consensus front-runner for MVP to start the 2022 NFL season. That campaign may have come to a screeching halt Sunday, however.

Allen had arguably his worst game of the season, throwing two interceptions in a 20-17 loss to the New York Jets (6-3) that suddenly has the race for the AFC East title looking pretty tight.

The Bills now sit at 6-2, just a half-game ahead of the Jets. And Allen's rough day was the main culprit, as he finished 18-of-34 for 205 yards, no passing touchdowns, two interceptions and five sacks taken.

He did rush nine times for 86 yards and two scores, but it was not enough to compensate for his struggles through the air. The performance was poor enough that NFL Twitter offered as damning an indictment as Allen might see this season—that he was outplayed by Jets starter Zach Wilson:

Wilson didn't exactly play the part of a superstar (18-of-25 for 154 yards and a touchdown) Sunday, and he also lost a fumble. A physical run game (34 carries for 174 yards) allowed them to win the time-of-possession battle (32:44 to 27:16) while keeping the ball out of Allen's hands.

Allen won't, and shouldn't, shoulder all of the blame for the loss. Buffalo's run defense, which entered the week ranked fourth in the league, is now a cause for concern. The Jets defense, meanwhile, appears to be legit. This New York team has turned a corner.

But Allen is the leader of the Bills and, at least coming into Sunday, was an MVP candidate. For the second straight week, he didn't perform like one.

The Bills got away with it last week against the floundering Green Bay Packers. They weren't so lucky against the ascending Jets.

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.

Star edge-rusher Von Miller is still hoping to convince his former teammate, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., to join him on the Buffalo Bills.

But Miller said on Thursday's edition of the Pat McAfee Show that he understands that Beckham ultimately has to make the best choice for himself:

It's a tough situation for me because he's not just a guy, some colleague around the league I want to get on my team. I don't think blood even could make us any closer. So of course I want him on my team, and of course I'm doing everything in my ability to make him feel comfortable with the Buffalo Bills. But at the same time I'm his brother too, and I want him to make the best decision for Odell, and for his son, and for his mom and his family. In my personal opinion, I feel like that's best decision is with [the Bills]. But at the end of the day, you've got to separate business and family.

There's no doubt the addition of Beckham, once he returns from the ACL tear he suffered in last season's Super Bowl, would make an already-scary Buffalo offense all the more dangerous.

Josh Allen's collection of playmakers already includes Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, Devin Singletary, Nyheim Hines and Dawson Knox. AFC teams won't want to see Beckham added to the mix.

The Bills have at least some interest, as general manager Brandon Beane seemed to confirm Wednesday.

"OBJ's a heck of a talent," he told reporters. "You know where he was drafted, obviously he had the great catch and he might have been the MVP of that Super Bowl, does he not tear the ACL. But he's a heck of a player; everyone in this room knows who OBJ is. ... And you know me, if we think he can help this team, we'd be crazy not to at least look into it."

That would certainly make Miller happy. But Beckham will have his suitors.

In October, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Beckham was "targeting the middle of November for his return to the field," adding that "as for potential suitors, figure any playoff-contending team with a receiver need, including the Los Angeles Rams—who still have Beckham's nameplate and locker up and ready."

He also cited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs as potential suitors, though Kansas City's acquisition of Kadarius Toney ahead of the trade deadline may have taken them out of consideration.

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.