Tag: afc east standings

Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel on Bills: ‘If you need to be motivated–Check your pulse’

#Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel on Bills: ‘If you need to be motivated–Check your pulse’ (via @TejasVemparala):

Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills fans alike are looking forward to this Sunday’s showdown between two fantastic teams. The pair will wrestle for control of the AFC East.

So is Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

The matchup is the first time the two teams have faced off since 2022. As is usually the case because Buffalo and Miami play twice each and every year as divisional rivials.

However, last season was different. There was a third meeting in the postseason, one which the Bills won.

Considering that, revenge could be on Miami’s mind… but not McDaniel. He said he doesn’t need it.

This one is already big enough.

“If you need to be motivated for a game like this, check your pulse. Or maybe consider a career adjustment,” McDaniel said via ESPN. “You sign up to play the best and I think (the Bills) have been that.”

In that playoff contest, the Dolphins were down starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Instead, backup Skylar Thompson, a relative unknown, got the nod.

The Bills won, but narrowly, it was a 34-31 final.

McDaniel, much like Bills head coach Sean McDermott, both understand the importance of getting ahead of a division rival and leading the division early in the season. That’s all the motivation needed.

Likewise, Tagovailoa seems to echo this mentality of taking care of business and not focusing on other factors:

“We got to beat these guys. They’re the next team up, so we know all of us have to be ready,” Tagovailoa said.

[lawrence-related id=123323,123293,123265]

Bills put together pass-rush fest among best ever recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats

Bills put together pass-rush fest among best ever recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats:

Yes, the Buffalo Bills defense was that good.

After the Bills’ blowout win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, it was clear to see the pass rush has been legit in 2023.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, when Howell dropped back 39 times during the game, the Bills pressured him 27 times. That is the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018):

After last week when the Bills defense put pressure on the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo but failed to sack him. This is more of what we have come to expect of the Bills pass-rush and it’s going to be tough to keep it going moving forward.

Buffalo hosts the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has only been sacked once through three games thanks to his quickness in getting the ball out.

The Bills have their work cut out for them.

[lawrence-related id=123323,123293,123265]

Bills’ phenomenal defense vs. Commanders set a new team record

A new team record for the #Bills (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills defense dominated on Sunday versus the Washington Commanders, with the Bills’ pass rushers combining to sack Commanders’ quarterback Sam Howell nine times.

The pass rush helped force five turnovers in the 37-3 win. Howell was constantly under pressure when throwing and the Bills’ pass rushers had a field day against a weak offensive line.

Turns out, the pass rushers set a record in Buffalo team history. Sunday was the first time that the Bills defense had four defenders with one or more sack ever:

Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game linebacker Terrel Bernard led the pass-rushing pressure along with defensive end Leonard Floyd. They had two sacks each.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones also joined Bernard and Floyd in the multi-sack stat column with 1.5 sacks each, respectively.

The nine-sack performance is a big departure from last week’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders where Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo was not sacked at all.

The Bills defense has never had four players with multiple sacks, but have had nine sacks against an opponent before.

On Jan, 9, 2022, the Bills registered nine against the New York Jets, with Mario Addison, Jordan Poyer, and Ed Oliver registering multiple sacks. The dominating performance by the defense is incredibly impressive.

The Bills defensive line will need a repeat performance this Sunday when they play the undefeated division rival Miami Dolphins against an electric offense that scored 70 points last weekend. We hope to see multiple sacks against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

[lawrence-related id=123118,123152,123155]

NFL Next Gen Stats: Bills’ pass-rush vs. Commanders among best since 2018

NFL Next Gen Stats: #Bills’ pass-rush vs. #Commanders among best since 2018 (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills defense, if you don’t know, is very, very good.

Many have been written highlighting the Bills’ domination on the defensive side of the ball against the Washington Commanders on Sunday. And now, NFL’s Next Gen Stats is also supporting that with a look at the pass rush generated by Buffalo’s defense on Washington quarterback Sam Howell.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, when Howell dropped back 39 times during the game, the Bills pressured him 27 times. That is the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2018):

The Bills defensive line was phenomenal, generating pressure on Howell to not only sack him but have him throw four interceptions during the game as well.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who NFL Next Gen Stats has showcased before as an excellent pass rusher, led Buffalo defenders with seven QB pressures, with edge rusher Shaq Lawson right behind with six.

Multiple edge rushers including A.J. Epenesa, who had a pick six against the Commanders, Leonard Floyd who converted the pressures to multiple sacks, Greg Rousseau, and Daquan Jones all had five QB pressures.

In total, seven Bills defenders had four or more QB pressures against a Commanders offensive line that was not expected to be good.

Nevertheless, the quarterback pressure Howell faced would suffocate any quarterback. The Bills front four will look to continue to generate pressure against the division leading Miami Dolphins’ offensive line in Week 4.

[lawrence-related id=123155,120409,123140]

Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game: Terrel Bernard

Bills Wire Week 3 Player of the Game: Terrel Bernard (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ third game of the 2023 NFL season extended the Bills’ win streak with a blowout win against the Washington Commanders.

Buffalo won 37-3 in a game which they were the superior team on every side of the ball: offense, defense, and special teams.

Many players on offense and defense were in the running for this week’s player of the game, and all of them would certainly be there on merit. We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 3 to linebacker Terrel Bernard, who had seven tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception:

The Bills defense, overall, was phenomenal, pressuring Washington quarterback Sam Howell on 27 of 39 dropbacks to generate four interceptions and 9 sacks. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, that is the second-highest pressure rate in a game since 2014.

Bernard was a presence across both quarterback pressure and backfield coverage. He is quickly becoming another name on the Bills defense for teams around the NFL to fear. Week 2 Player of the Game Josh Allen celebrated with Bernard, probably happier that they are teammates instead of opponents.

Buffalo return home to play against the division-leading Miami Dolphins next week on Sunday at 1 p.m.

[lawrence-related id=123077,123072,123065]

AFC East standing after Week 11: Dolphins win during bye week

Miami remains atop the division.

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins got some much-needed rest, as they enjoyed their bye week. They were the last of all teams in the division to get the break, and it came at an opportune time, as they’re 7-3 but have a few players nursing some injuries.

It’s the Bills that are just behind the Dolphins in the division, also with a 7-3 record, however, Miami has the head-to-head tiebreaker. Buffalo defeated the Cleveland Browns, 31-23, and didn’t look good doing it. Josh Allen was ineffective for most of the game. If it wasn’t for kicker Tyler Bass hitting all six of his field goal attempts, Jacoby Brissett and company could’ve pulled off an upset.

The other two teams in the AFC East, the New England Patriots and New York Jets, met for the second time this season. This game was ugly to watch as neither offense was capable of doing anything. The wind was also a factor, causing Patriots kicker Nick Folk, who’s been almost automatic this year, to miss twice. With less than 30 seconds to go, the score was 3-3 before Marcus Jones took a punt return 84 yards for a New England touchdown, giving them the win.

The Jets and Patriots are now tied for third place at 6-4 with New England having swept the season series.

While the AFC East race is so close, Miami should come out of this bye week feeling pretty good because, in games that Tua Tagovailoa has played and finished, the Dolphins haven’t really looked as poor as these teams did this week.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=none image=https://dolphinswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=455431]

AFC East standings after Week 6: Tie at the bottom

Things have flipped for Miami in three weeks.

After six weeks, the AFC East has all four teams separated by just two games, with the bottom two tied.

The Buffalo Bills are still atop the division with a 5-1 record after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Josh Allen continued his MVP-level play, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns. They were also able to move the ball on the ground, which is a new development, with Devin Singletary rushing for five yards per carry.

Robert Saleh’s team is surprisingly just one game behind the Bills at 4-2. The Jets pulled off an impressive 27-10 upset of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field to keep Zach Wilson undefeated in 2022. They’re rushing attack was the key in this one, as both of their backs rushed for over 5.7 yards per attempt.

The Miami Dolphins have dropped their third game in a row, losing to the Minnesota Vikings at home. This was their fourth straight contest that involved a quarterback change at some point, and that’s on top of both starting offensive tackles being out. Still, Miami can’t be as undisciplined as they were against Minnesota.

A Bailey Zappe-led New England Patriots team has won two games in a row, this time defeating the Cleveland Browns on the road. While many were expecting Bill Belichick’s squad to get it down on the ground, the rookie quarterback threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns. With their offense moving forward without Mac Jones, and their defense continuing to stand strong, the Patriots are surprising some people.

Week 7 AFC East matchups:

Buffalo Bills: Bye Week

New York Jets (4-2) vs. Denver Broncos (2-4)

Miami Dolphins (3-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)

New England Patriots (3-3) vs. Chicago Bears (2-4)

[listicle id=454351]

AFC East standings after Week 17: The bottom two spots have been decided

Third and fourth place have been solidified.

17 weeks into the 2021 campaign, the AFC East hasn’t fully been decided, as two teams are still alive and have clinched a postseason berth.

The Buffalo Bills are still atop the division after mounting a second-half comeback to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 29-15. Buffalo gave up a safety on their opening possession, and between the second and third quarters, Josh Allen ended three straight drives with an interception. If they win next week, they win the division, but they can’t play like they did in this game in the postseason.

New England is currently second in the AFC East due to tiebreakers. In Week 17, they put a 50-10 beatdown on the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence threw three interceptions that were mostly avoidable mistakes to help set the Patriots up for four rushing touchdowns split evenly between Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. If they win in Week 18 and Buffalo loses, the division is theirs.

The Dolphins were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday and have ended the season as the third-place team in the AFC East. Week 17 brought a disappointing loss to the conference’s top team in Tennessee. Miami’s offense couldn’t get anything going, and their defense couldn’t stop the Titans from running all over them. This is the sixth time the Dolphins have finished third in the division since 2010.

Fourth place was solidified for the New York Jets a few weeks back, but they’re finishing up their schedule, as they blew a late lead to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the game on the field was pretty exciting, the game will certainly be remembered for the saga of Antonio Brown leaving the field and being cut from the team. The Jets have a chance to play spoiler somewhat in the final week of the season, so don’t expect them to roll over and give up.

Week 18 AFC East matchups:

Miami Dolphins (8-8) vs. New England Patriots (10-6)

Buffalo Bills (10-6) vs. New York Jets (4-12)

[vertical-gallery id=443873]