Week 1 did a number on the AFC East standings, but it didn’t knock New England off the top of these rankings.
That’s the twist after an opening weekend that saw the Patriots lose, the Bills roll, the Jets open with a win, and the Dolphins take a hit. New England still sits ahead of New York and Miami in this early division snapshot, even after a 13-10 loss to Seattle that turned ugly late.
Buffalo, though, has the cleanest case for No. 1 after a 36-31 win over Houston. Josh Allen was sharp at 30, throwing for 334 yards and four touchdowns with a 69% completion rate against the fearsome Texans defense.
Dalton Kincaid broke out with a career-high 130 receiving yards, and new addition D.J. Moore also crossed the century mark and scored.
After losing the division title last season, the Bills now have Joe Brady in charge and a share of the division lead after Week 1.
New England’s game looked manageable for much of the afternoon. The Patriots carried a 7-0 halftime lead and seemed to have Seattle in a tough spot after Sam Darnold’s injury.
Then the final 15:16 arrived, and Drake Maye’s night unraveled with three interceptions, the last one ending it for Drew Lock and company in a 13-point Seattle win. The Patriots were better than they were in the Super Bowl, but Maye’s mistakes down the stretch proved costly.
Romeo Doubs and Josh McDaniels also took their share of the blame. Even so, the expectation here is that Maye won’t keep making those kind of late-game errors, though New England will need major improvement if it wants another shot at the Super Bowl in February.
The Jets are the early wild card in the division after a 23-10 win over Tennessee. Aaron Glenn’s run in New York didn’t look like it was going to last long before the season started, but Week 1 changed the tone fast.
The defense held Cam Ward’s team to 10 points, and Geno Smith gave the offense the kind of steady quarterback play the Jets have been missing. Smith went 19/24 for 215 yards, while Breece Hall and Braelon Allen combined for 142 rushing yards on 32 carries.
Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell added 139 yards between them. Still, the Jets aren’t being placed ahead of the Patriots yet, despite the better record.
The talent gap keeps New England in front for now, with Week 6 against the Patriots looming as a major measuring stick.
Miami rounds out the group after a 27-13 loss to Las Vegas. The Raiders beat an AFC East team for the second straight season and did it with a big day from Ashton Jeanty, who scored three times and finished with 147 yards from scrimmage and two scores while leading the team in rushing and receiving.
The Dolphins’ roster still looks thin beyond De’Von Achane, who was held to 3.3 yards per carry. Miami did get two interceptions from its defense, and rookies Jacob Rodriguez and Chris Johnson were busy all day with 14 and 11 tackles.
Malik Willis also offered one encouraging note, completing 55% of his passes for 220 yards and an interception while adding 39 rushing yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t clean, but it was competent, and that matters for a team trying to figure out whether it has a long-term answer under center.
In Other News...
Robert Kraft Is Now At The Center Of A Growing NFL Controversy
Robert Kraft has landed in the middle of a messy music-world fight after reportedly pushing Macklemore off Ed Sheerans tour in response to comments the rapper made during a Sept. 4 show. Kraft, who cited those remarks and a history of antisemitic rhetoric as reasons for the removal, also made a $2 million pledge for humanitarian aid after a phone call with Sheeran, turning what started as a concert controversy into something much bigger.
The story has quickly widened beyond two performers and one tour stop. Other stadium owners, including David Tepper, Arthur Blank and Jeffrey Lurie, were reported to back Krafts stance, while several of Sheerans opening acts have since withdrawn from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving the situation unresolved and the fallout still spreading. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Coaches Are Already Talking Up One Rookies Week 1 Impact
Namdi Obiazor didnt need a flash play to make an impression in his first regular-season outing. The rookie linebacker was mostly a special teams presence in the Patriots opener, logging 20 snaps there and making two tackles on kickoffs, a useful debut for a player still working behind other linebackers on the depth chart.
What stood out was how quickly New Englands coaches moved to spotlight him. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and inside linebackers coach Vinny DePalma both praised Obiazors effort and upside, suggesting the Patriots already view him as more than a fill-in on coverage units. If that early trust holds, his role on special teams could become one of the more interesting rookie developments to follow this season. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Injury Report Could Change Everything Against Pittsburgh
The Patriots Week 2 prep has already taken on a different feel with the injury report becoming as important as the matchup itself. New England released its latest list alongside Pittsburgh, and it offers a clearer picture of who is tracking toward Sunday and who is still working through problems. For the Patriots, the mix is uneven: Dametrious Crownover and Carlton Davis III were among the players who did not take part in recent practices because of injuries, while Robert Spillane and TreVeyon Henderson are expected to suit up.
Pittsburgh has its own questions, with Michael Pittmans status uncertain and Joey Porter Jr. looking unlikely to play. For a game that could hinge on a handful of matchups and a few key absences, both sides are monitoring the final availability closely. The Patriots will get a better sense of how much flexibility they have only when the rest of the weeks practice work is done, and there is still room for the picture to shift before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]