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State of The AFC East After Week 2

Sep 23, 2022

Week three of the NFL season kicked off Thursday night when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. That means it was time for me to chat with Kevin Guerard and get his take on the AFC East. 

Home-field advantage is a real thing. I saw this post on Twitter that said, “The loud and passionate Buffalo fans make it very tough and hostile for Tennessee to get any momentum going – Buffalo has a major home field advantage with their rowdy fans” – I’m not taking anything away from Bills Mafia, we know they’re a rabid fan base. It’s challenging to be the road team in Buffalo. However, based on what we saw Monday night, would the Bills have just easily beaten up the Titans in Tennessee? Did the Bills have that much of an edge playing in Buffalo?

I think the score would have been the same had they played on the Moon. The Bills outclassed a depleted Titans team who must be kicking themselves for trading away AJ Brown. The Bills’ offence picked up where they left off last year. And now the returning #1 defence looks even better this year. They had one significant weakness last year: stopping the run. This was a massive statement that stopping the run is no longer a weakness. The Bills look head and shoulders better than any other team in the league right now. Short of an Allen injury, I can’t see how they don’t win the title this year.

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins had a huge comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens. While scrolling through Twitter, I came across this comment: “WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO this was an INCREDIBLE game, and they proved A LOT today, normally this team would’ve been done at the half. What a game” – Not being a Dolphins fan, I was a little confused, and I’m really interested to know, what did the Dolphins prove on Sunday? 

The Dolphins proved that they could win a shootout. They have been a stagnant offence for the past (insert numbers of years since Marino). Most high-scoring games were fuelled by turnovers or special teams’ play. They haven’t had a passing game capable of scoring in bunches and big plays forever. On the checklist of things to prove before being considered a “contender,” coming back from a significant deficit is on the list. 

The New York Jets had an enormous win over the Cleveland Browns, but I saw this comment, and it all made sense: “Even on the Jets, Flacco still owns Browns…..18-3”. Besides Joe Flacco owning the Browns throughout his career, was this a statement win for the Jets? 

I think any win is a statement win for the Jets. They received a ton of off-season hype due to their draft class and FA signings. They need to win some games to show they are on the right path to recovery. Making a comeback against a highly talented Browns defence is a big boost for the team to buy into Saleh.

The New England Patriots didn’t have as exciting a win as the Dolphins and Jets, but they out-slug the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a Patriots fan, I like to live by a win-is-a-win. However, some Patriots fans weren’t overly satisfied, and this Twitter comment said it all: “Tons of Patriots fans are for real unhappy after a Win. This is a broken fanbase.” – Patriots fans aren’t used to supporting a team that is middle of the pact. Is there anything you saw in the Patriots win over the Steelers that can give Pats Nation hope?

The Pats were able to defeat a team with quality defence on the road. This is not a prolific offence. Their victories will come through the reason, the running game and some timely big plays from the passing game. The defence, led by sacks from its best players in Judon and Barmore, could dominate the Steelers’ passing game. I think low-scoring slugfests are how NE is going to win games. Much like their first couple of title years.

Listen to Ray’s Sports Rant Podcast Monday – Friday 

 

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