At this point, the AFC East is starting to feel less like a race and more like Buffalo’s division to lose. The Bills keep stacking wins, the Patriots keep slipping, and the rest of the group is drifting further behind.
Week 9 only sharpened that picture. Buffalo handled Minnesota 23-6, New England got blasted by Green Bay 45-27, the Jets were knocked around by Kansas City 35-12, and Miami fell to Detroit 19-9.
The Bills are now the only AFC team with just one loss, and Joe Brady’s group has built a 2.5-game lead in the AFC East. That cushion looks sturdy enough that Buffalo can start thinking beyond the division and toward the top seed in the conference.
- Buffalo Bills keep widening the gap at the top of the AFC East
Buffalo’s win over the Vikings was not pretty, but it was the kind of ugly result that still says something. Josh Allen had one of his roughest outings of the season, especially in the first half, yet the Bills still controlled the game. The defense did its part, even if it came against a Minnesota offense that looked completely out of sorts, led by what the source described as an apparent Carson Wentz impersonator.
That said, this kind of performance won’t be enough when the stakes rise. Allen and the offense need cleaner football, and the defense has to put together more than one strong showing at a time.
Next game: Sunday, Nov. 22nd @ Jets
- New England Patriots get flattened by the Packers
The Patriots had a rough day in every phase against Green Bay. Jordan Love picked apart New England’s defense, throwing six completions of more than 20 yards downfield. Love is playing as well as any quarterback in the league right now, but the Patriots also gave up too many coverage breakdowns to let that be the whole story.
On the other side, Drake Maye showed the danger that comes with his ultra-aggressive style. He threw three interceptions, and the game got away from New England before halftime. The Patriots still look like a playoff team, but their inconsistency keeps showing up at the worst times.
Next game: Sunday, Nov. 22nd vs. Lions
- Jets slide deeper after another ugly loss
The Jets opened the season looking like a team that might surprise people. That version of them is long gone now. They’ve lost four straight, and the defeat to Kansas City was the most painful one yet.
New York’s secondary has struggled against any offense with real competence, and even without a deep receiving corps, Patrick Mahomes carved up Aaron Glenn’s defense on the way to 35 points. At this stage, Glenn is coaching for his job.
Next game: Sunday, Nov. 22nd vs. Bills
- Dolphins keep sinking
Miami’s season has reached the point where the only clear direction is downward. The Dolphins were not built to chase anything other than the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. There are still questions everywhere, with Jeff Hafley trying to prove he can be the long-term head coach and Malik Willis trying to do the same at quarterback, but the current roster doesn’t offer much help in answering them.
Beyond a few interesting schematic wrinkles, there isn’t much reason to keep tuning in for the rest of the 2026 season.
In Other News...
Bills Trade Deadline Pressure Is Suddenly All About One Defensive Need
With less than 24 hours before the 2026 NFL trade deadline, the Bills are still weighing whether to make a move, and the conversation around Buffalo has narrowed to one obvious area: defense. ESPNs Troy Aikman said he spoke with general manager Brandon Beane about the possibility of adding help on that side of the ball, a sign the front office is at least exploring whether there is a deal worth making before the clock runs out.
Joe Buck also floated Budda Baker as a potential target, which only adds to the speculation around what Buffalo might be willing to do if it decides the roster needs a boost. For now, though, nothing official has happened, leaving the Bills in the familiar deadline spot of trying to balance urgency with the cost of making a move. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Got More Pressure As An AFC Rival Goes All In
The AFC race just got a little tighter for Buffalo after Jacksonville spent the days leading into the trade deadline loading up on defense. The Jaguars added safety Jessie Bates III from Atlanta, then followed with deals for defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis from Philadelphia, a clear sign they are trying to fortify the middle of their defense and push harder in a crowded conference.
For the Bills, the timing matters as much as the names. Jacksonville paid for those upgrades with multiple future draft picks, a move that signals urgency now and confidence in the roster around it, and it adds another team in the AFC willing to act aggressively to close the gap. Buffalo has spent plenty of time measuring itself against the conferences best, and this kind of deadline swing is the sort that can reshape the path to January. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Defense Is Forcing A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
Since the Week 7 bye, Buffalos defense has started looking like the unit the Bills expected it could be, holding opponents to far fewer yards and points in back-to-back games. The improvement has shown up across the board, with the pass rush getting home more often and the group playing with the kind of urgency that can change the feel of a game before the offense even settles in.
Greg Rousseau has been one of the voices pointing to the shift as something more lasting than a short burst, and the numbers back up the eye test even without needing much decoration. The bigger question now is less about whether the defense has found something and more about how Buffalo balances that rise with the steady work of Josh Allen and James Cook on the other side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]