NFL Midseason Grades For The AFC East
The AFC East is usually a division where the New England Patriots run away with the division and everyone else sits and waits for the season to end. This year’s divisional race seems upside down, except for the New York Jets who are doing their annual tanking. While Buffalo’s lead isn’t out of reach, their rivals trying to play catch up are going through their struggles.
Buffalo Bills: B
The Bills started 2020 just like any other year they give their fans false hope. 4-0 was a quick start and looked like they wouldn’t be slowing down any time soon. Now the magic between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs seems to be fading. To top it off, their run game is far from the powerhouse it once was. Defensively they’re holding strong however they don’t look like they have a long-term answer to their current struggles.
Miami Dolphins: B-
Miami’s grade is a little skewed. If Tua Tagovailoa can be the quarterback the team expected him to be when they drafted him, the grade increases. If he ends up struggling in the long term and building around him will take too much to be competitive, the grade will dip. Offensively their another AFC East team that is struggling with the run. If Fitzpatrick was in Miami would be closer to a B+ as the rookie has yet to show consistency and ability to be a big playmaker. If you were to grade their defense alone, this would swing closer to an A- range.
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New England Patriots: C-
Once the darlings of the AFC East, they now find themselves in free-fall mode. Cam Newton doesn’t look anything like the quarterback they hoped they were getting. They’re struggling to find any sort of upside to save their season. Bill Belichick went on record to say they sold their future for current success and now are paying the price. Their only saving grace is they beat division rival Miami and conference contender Las Vegas. To be fair, they’re not even the worst in the division.
New York Jets: D
Speaking of the worst of the AFC East, we have the New York Jets. Adam Gase looks like he has fewer answers for this team than he did in Miami. Sam Darnold doesn’t look like the guy they had hoped for and doesn’t look like he ever will be. The only thing keeping them from a big fat F is the fact they have young talent who could turn this team around if giving the right coaching to develop them. That’s not something that will happen this season so the Jets will continue to look as bad as they have the first half of the season.
Overall Division Grade: C+
The AFC East doesn’t look like it has any Super Bowl contenders in so far this season but could play spoilers to a few teams in the playoffs if they get lucky that is. 50% of the division has a bright future, the other 50% is still struggling and could for years to come.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
