NFL Playoff Picture: Week 9

AFC East

1. New England Patriots (8-0)
2. New York Jets (5-3)
3. Buffalo Bills (4-4)
4. Miami Dolphins (3-5)

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the AFC East, otherwise known as the division that features the Patriots and everybody else.

People wonder if the Pats are in trouble without Dion Lewis after their versatile running back injured his knee against the Redskins on Sunday, and the answer is no.

Belichick will find another Dion Lewis just like Lewis became the new Shane Vereen, Brady will make him look great and that will be that.

The most amazing aspect of the Patriots as a team isn’t that Brady has thrown for 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his eight games so far, but rather that their defense allows the third fewest rushing yards per game (89.3) while boasting the second most sacks (27).

This is the second time in franchise history that they have started a season with eight straight wins. The other year was 2007, and we all know how that story ended.

Remember, they beat the Giants during the regular season that year during a thrilling Week 17 clash. They lost to them in the Super Bowl.

The Jets were lucky they faced the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars to improve to 5-3 with a 28-23 win, because they seem to be stuck in the mud as far as their performance goes.

Not quite listless, the fire is still there, but not quite convincing either. I could see them being 9-4 by the time Week 15 rolls around with the Bills, Texans, Dolphins, Giants and Titans on the docket for them.

In other words, they might just be a prime candidate to come away with the first wild card spot.

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The Bills could win the second one if you just look at their overall record at a glance, but then you look closer and realize that they are just 2-4 against teams not called the Miami Dolphins.

Tyrod Taylor’s comeback helps, of course. Anything is better than EJ Manuel at quarterback. They don’t have to look too far into the future to see that their hope of going to the postseason for the first time in 15 years hinges on this this Thursday’s game at New York.

They head to New England after that, and a 4-6 record wouldn’t bode too well for their playoff expectations.

As far as the Dolphins go, it is pretty safe to say that their problem go far beyond Dan Campbell’s uninspired day in Buffalo last Sunday.

It’s not his 2-2 record as the interim coach that’s bad, but rather the fact that he made too many mistakes during a must-win game last Sunday in Buffalo.

I agreed with going for it at the one-yard line down 19-7 with two seconds to go in the first half and also with accepting the penalty that made it third-and-14 from the Miami 44 instead of fourth-and-four at the 34 that preceded the back breaker that was Sammy Watkins’ 44-yard touchdown.

However, I can’t condone lining up in the shotgun and throwing a slant pass when you just need one yard (have you learned nothing from facing Brady twice a year?), not calling a timeout with 18 seconds to go in the half and the clock still running or allowing Jason Fox to be a starting right tackle.

Miami is 3-5, including 0-4 in its own division and it does not deserve to be a contender based on the self-inflicted damage it has produced upon itself.

Next: AFC North