Week 3 left the AFC East with a clear message: Buffalo can still sit on top even when Buffalo is messy.
The Bills got to 3-0 with a 24-16 win over the Chargers, and it came despite a turnover-filled afternoon from Josh Allen. The rest of the division did little to close the gap. New England cratered, Miami took another hit, and the Jets showed enough to avoid looking hopeless, even if they still aren’t built to chase the Bills.
Through three weeks, Buffalo is the only team in the AFC East with more than one win.
- Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ latest win was ugly in plenty of places. They coughed it up five times and still walked away with the victory against a Chargers team that is now 0-3. Allen had a rough one, including two inexcusable interceptions that showed the downside of the way he plays.
Even so, Buffalo found a way. That matters. Allen is not going to carry them every week, and on Sunday the rest of the roster did enough to make sure the Bills still came out on top.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 4 vs. Patriots
- New York Jets
The Jets are 1-2, but they have looked more functional than plenty of people expected. Against the Lions, they hung around, even if the final score made the game look tighter than it really was.
Their ceiling is still limited. There’s no franchise quarterback in place, and the defense doesn’t have enough talent to make them a real threat in the division. Still, Aaron Glenn has already shown he’s not the lame duck head coach he seemed to be at the start of the season.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 4 @ Bears
- New England Patriots
This has not been a smooth start for a team that played in the Super Bowl just over seven months ago. Drake Maye has been way off, with only one touchdown and six interceptions, and he hasn’t provided the rushing punch he brought in 2025.
The Patriots probably won’t stay this bad all year, and getting A.J. Brown back from injury should help. But right now they look nothing like last season’s version of themselves.
Next game: Sunday, Oct. 4 @ Bills
- Miami Dolphins
Miami’s offense was already thin, and now it has lost its most dangerous piece. De’Von Achane tore his ACL in the Dolphins’ loss to the Chiefs and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
That injury takes an already stripped-down roster and makes it even harder to see a path forward. The Dolphins had little room for error before this, and now their season looks all but finished.
In Other News...
Bills Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious Over That Flag
Buffalo fans had every right to bristle after Gregory Rousseau was flagged for roughing the passer on a hit against Justin Herbert, because the call landed right in the middle of the NFLs ongoing confusion over what, exactly, the league wants defenders to do. The roughing the passer rule, especially the so-called body weight standard, has been a source of irritation for years, and this one looked like the sort of play that leaves viewers wondering whether the officials are enforcing the rule as written or as interpreted in the moment.
The frustration only grows when a similar situation in another game involving Patrick Mahomes is part of the conversation, because inconsistency is what makes these penalties feel so hard to swallow. For the Bills, the issue is bigger than one flag. It is about a rule that can swing a drive, alter a game plan, and leave a defense feeling as if it is being asked to thread an impossible needle every time it gets near a quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Sit Atop The AFC For One Very Convincing Reason
Three weeks into the NFL season, the AFCs perfect teams are starting to separate, and Buffalo has clearly made the strongest early case. The Bills are one of three undefeated clubs left in the conference, alongside the Raiders and Chiefs, but theyve done enough already to stand above the group in the early pecking order.
What has set Buffalo apart is the way it has handled business on the field, with the performance of key players and the most recent game results giving the Bills the edge in this informal race. Kansas City and Las Vegas are still unbeaten, too, but for now the Bills sit atop the AFC for a reason that goes beyond the standings alone. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Have 48 Hours To Make One Tough Roster Decision
Phidarian Mathis is back on the Bills active roster after serving his suspension, and that return has put Buffalo on a short clock to sort out the numbers. The move gives the team 48 hours to make a matching roster decision, a familiar kind of late-summer bookkeeping that can quickly turn into a meaningful call for a club trying to keep depth intact on both sides of the ball.
The likeliest path appears to involve rookie guard Armaj Reed-Adams landing on injured reserve, which would open the necessary space without forcing Buffalo to part with one of its defensive linemen. DeWayne Carter and Mike Danna remain among the players the team seems inclined to keep in the fold, but until the Bills actually file the corresponding move, the roster picture stays unfinished. [Read more 🡒]