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AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 5

The Buffalo Bills lost in Week 5 to the Houston Texans, 23-20. Despite the second consecutive road loss, the Bills remain atop the AFC East with their record of 3-2.

Like Buffalo, the rest of the AFC East was in action. How did each fare last week, and how does the division stack up right now?

Here is a quick recap of all the action that went down in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots:

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins outlasted the Patriots in Week 5 by a score of 15-10 at Gillette Stadium. The Dolphins (2-3) have already played four different quarterbacks this year: Tua Tagovailoa, Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and Tyler Huntley.

Given these circumstances, 2-3 doesn’t look so bad through five weeks. Still, this is a team that had high hopes of taking over the division in 2024. They came up just short last year in the AFC East race, and that may be as close as they get in a while if Tagovailoa remains out due to his health.

New England Patriots

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

After the 15-10 loss at home to the Dolphins, the Patriots sit at 1-4 on the year and will have to face the 4-1 Texans in Week 6.

There are rumblings that rookie quarterback Drake Maye might start. The team is already desperate to try to find some juice on offense after five games. Maye has the potential to provide some juice, but his rookie year will most likely see some struggles given the supporting cast he’ll have on offense.

New York Jets

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Jets had a tall task in Week 5. They had to travel to London and take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. They lost the game, 23-17, and fell to 2-3 on the year. The game wasn’t the only thing they lost this week.

On Tuesday morning, the Jets announced the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. This was a shock to just about everyone around the NFL given it has only been five games. The Jets seem to have no patience in the Aaron Rodgers era. They want to win right now. We’ll see how they look with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich (defensive coordinator) when they host the Bills in Week 6 on “Monday Night Football.”

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An early edge in the divisional race at stake for the Saints in Week 4

An early edge in the divisional race is at stake for the Saints in Week 4. But the Falcons probably feel the same way:

The New Orleans Saints have the chance to take the all-time series lead over the Atlanta Falcons when the two teams face off on Sunday. As good as it will feel to say you lead the series against a heated rival, the game has more important impacts to the current season.

A victory would put the Saints up two games over the Falcons and they’d have the early tiebreaker. Week 4 may be a little early to be speaking about tiebreakers, but the Saints will have played two divisional games already by the end of the week.

It’s not too early to start calculating what a victory would mean from that perspective. A victory would keep Atlanta from winning the divisional series outright and give you the chance to complete a sweep at home later in the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have a tough game against the Philadelphia Eagles. A Saints win plus Tampa Bay loss would leave New Orleans all alone a the top of the division and end the streak of the Saints and Buccaneers mirroring outcomes.

A loss to Atlanta would drop the Saints to second at best in the division. New Orleans and the Falcons would have the same record with Atlanta holding the head to head victory. The Saints would have to then ensure they came down with the victory against the Falcons in Week 10 to avoid the season sweep.

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Bleacher Report predicts Broncos will finish last in AFC West in 2024

Maurice Moton has predicted the Broncos will finish in last place in the AFC West this fall. Denver finished third in 2023.

According to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, the Denver Broncos are slated to finish last in the AFC West.

With a reset on the horizon, the Broncos are looking to right the wrongs of the Nathaniel Hackett-Russell Wilson pairing. Sean Payton is entering Year 2 at the helm and he is looking to put his imprint on the team. But with B/R picking them to finish last in the AFC West, it appears Payton has it stacked against him to succeed.

“In head coach Sean Payton’s second term with the Broncos, the club seems to be in rebuild mode, while the Los Angeles Chargers — who finished fourth in the AFC West last year — upgraded over former head coach Brandon Staley, hiring Jim Harbaugh,” Moton wrote on B/R’s website.

“The Broncos haven’t beaten the Raiders since 2019. If that streak continues into 2024, it could be the deciding factor in which team finishes last in the division.”

Denver and Las Vegas both went 8-9 last fall, finishing above the last-place Los Angeles Chargers (5-12). The Kansas City Chiefs won the division with an 11-6 record.

Can Payton and his Broncos defy the odds this year? We’ll find out soon.

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Jim Harbaugh joins impressive list of coaches in AFC West

AFC West coaches have reached eight combined Super Bowls and won three Coach of the Year awards.

The Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh earlier this week and he is now set to join an AFC West that also includes Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs), Sean Payton (Denver Broncos) and Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders).

Reid, 65, won Super Bowl XXXI as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He later reached Super Bowl XXXIX as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, two years after winning Coach of the Year.

Reid became the Kansas City’s head coach in 2013. After drafting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Reid and Chiefs have reached three Super Bowls, winning twice (and they’re back in the AFC championship game this year).

Payton, 60, was named Coach of the Year in 2006. He reached three NFC championship games with the New Orleans Saints and won Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 season.

Harbaugh, 60, won Coach of the Year honors in 2011. He reached the NFC title game three times with the San Francisco 49ers and helped the club reach Super Bowl XLVII in 2012. Harbaugh then coached at the college level from 2015-2023, going 86-25 at Michigan (including a perfect 15-0 record and a national championship title last fall).

Pierce, 45, played linebacker in the NFL for nine seasons, earning one Pro Bowl nod. He won Super Bowl XLII as a player with the New York Giants in 2007. Pierce transitioned to coaching in 2014 and he’s been with the Raiders since 2022. This fall will mark his first season as a full-time head coach in the NFL.

The AFC West might be the best division of coaches in the league going into the 2024 campaign.

Each team’s remaining schedule in the crowded NFC South title race

The Saints are tied with the Falcons and Buccaneers at the top of the NFC South. Let’s look at each team’s remaining schedule:

Mutually mediocre. That’s how our John Sigler described the NFC South. 13 games through the season it’s difficult to describe them in any other way. The Carolina Panthers are out of the playoff race altogether, but the other three teams still have a chance at the division title and a wild card spot. If each team continues their trajectory, it’s unlikely the NFC South will get two teams into the playoffs.

Despite how underwhelming the division has been the last two seasons, someone has to win. The Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all tied at the top of the division at 6-7. New Orleans still plays both the Falcons and Buccaneers before the season is over.

But those aren’t the only games left to play. Let’s look at each team’s remaining schedule:

Falcons vs. Buccaneers is important to Saints’ divisional standings

The Saints must take care of the Panthers first, but the outcome of Falcons vs. Bucs is important to New Orleans’ NFC South title hopes.

The Who Dat Nation should watch the Atlanta Falcons-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game closely on Sunday. Their New Orleans Saints currently sit in third place in the NFC South and that’s as low as they can drop in Week 14 with a loss. They could raise as high as second-place with a win over the Carolina Panthers. Though a Tampa Bay loss causes the Saints to rise to second-place, the Bucs winning is still more favorable to the Saints.

As it currently stands, the Falcons stand at the top of the NFC South with a 6-6 record. At 5-7 each, New Orleans and Tampa Bay are tied for second place, but Tampa has the tiebreaker. The best outcome New Orleans could hope for is a 3-way tie for first place at the end of the week. That can only come from a Buccaneers victory.

An Atlanta victory gives the Falcons a 4-0 divisional record. Them defeating Carolina later in the season isn’t guaranteed but should be expected. Essentially, winning this week would give the Falcons a good chance at winning five NFC South games and that would clinch them any tiebreakers against New Orleans. The Saints could tie the head-to-head matchups, but would lose the divisional record tiebreaker in this hypothetical.

A Buccaneers loss would be great for the standings at the end of the week, but an Atlanta loss is more beneficial for the long term goals of the season. Either way the outcome of the Falcons versus Buccaneers game should be of interest to Saints fans.

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After dominating AFC West with Peyton Manning, Broncos are 12-32 since QB’s retirement

The Broncos went 21-3 in their division during the Peyton Manning era. Since Manning’s retirement, Denver is 12-32 in the AFC West.

The Denver Broncos dominated their division during the Peyton Manning era, winning the AFC West in each of the quarterback’s four seasons with the team (2012-2015).

During the four Manning years, the Broncos went 7-1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, 7-1 against the Kansas City Chiefs and 7-1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. That 21-3 overall record in the division helped Denver secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs three times in four years.

The Broncos, of course, reached two Super Bowls during that time, winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. After defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to claim his second career Super Bowl victory, Manning retired during the 2016 offseason.

Denver dominated the division with Manning. Since his retirement, the Broncos have been an embarrassment in the AFC West.

Denver is 8-6 against the Los Angeles Chargers, 4-11 against the Las Vegas Raiders and 0-15 against the Kansas City Chiefs since Manning retired. That 12-32 overall record in the division has contributed to the Broncos missing the playoffs in seven-straight seasons since Manning hung up his cleats.

This season, Denver has started 0-2 in the AFC West and the Broncos are set to host the Chiefs in Week 8. It’d be nice to have Manning back under center these days.

NFC North roundtable: Who is the favorite to finish last in the division in 2023?

Who is the favorite to finish last in the NFC North in 2023? Our writers from the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings weigh in.

The Chicago Bears are building around Justin Fields, the Detroit Lions are entering the season as betting favorites to win the division, the Green Bay Packers are transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love and the Minnesota Vikings are attempting to repeat as division champs for the first time since 2008-09.

There’s a lot going on in the NFC North this season.

In the latest of a series of posts previewing the division ahead of the 2023 season, Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire answered the question: Which team is the favorite to finish last in 2023?

NFC North roundtable: Realistic expectations for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Biggest impact rookie for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Biggest offseason addition for each team in 2023
NFC North roundtable: Who will be division’s most valuable player in 2023?
NFC North roundtable: Who is the division favorite entering 2023?
NFC North roundtable: Players on the hot seat entering 2023
NFC North roundtable: Biggest misconception about each team entering 2023
NFC North roundtable: Favorite offseason move made by division rival

NFL.com doesn’t like Broncos’ chances of going from ‘worst to first’ in 2023

Can the Broncos go from worst to first in the AFC West this year? Kevin Patra doesn’t like their odds.

The Denver Broncos finished at the bottom of the AFC West with a 5-12 record in 2022, something new head coach Sean Payton will aim to avoid in 2023.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra recently ranked the eight last-place teams from 2022 based on their likelihood of jumping up to first in their division in 2023. The Broncos came in at No. 5 on that list, behind the Chicago Bears (No. 4), Cleveland Browns (No. 3), Atlanta Falcons (No. 2) and New York Jets (No. 1).

Here is part of Patra’s commentary on Denver’s ranking:

Sean Payton’s arrival immediately elevates Denver’s chances to compete. There is a lot to like on this roster. … The biggest question is whether Payton’s magic will coax Russell Wilson back to his Pro Bowl ways after a disastrous 2022 campaign. But the biggest knock on Denver’s chances of going from worst to first is playing in the AFC West, where they’d have to knock off Patrick Mahomes and the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back division-winning Chiefs.

The Washington Commanders (No. 6), Houston Texans (No. 7) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 8) are ranked below the Broncos on NFL.com’s list.

Patra makes a fair point about KC being tough to top in 2023. It seems fair to say that most Denver fans would be pleased with simply returning to the playoffs as a Wild-Card team this season. A division title would be great, but the Broncos should first worry about snapping a seven-year playoff drought.

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Andy Dalton blunt on 2022 NFC South: ‘Nobody wanted to win the division last year’

Andy Dalton lost two of his three starts against NFC South teams last year. Now that he’s signed with the Panthers, the ex-Saints QB says it’s a division nobody wanted to win:

Andy Dalton went turncloak as a free agent this spring, leaving the New Orleans Saints to sign a solid contract with the Carolina Panthers (which helps the Saints as far as 2024 compensatory draft picks are concerned, too). But Dalton shared a blunt assessment of the NFC South after getting a good look at it as the Saints’ surprise starting quarterback for much of the 2022 season.

“Nobody wanted to win the division last year the way it was going,” Dalton reflected, per Panthers beat reporter Joe Person.

That includes Dalton, apparently. He lost two of his three starts against NFC South opponents in a 17-16 road defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a season-ending 10-7 embarrassment at the hands of (who else?) Carolina, though he got the job done in a 21-18 win over the Atlanta Falcons. His efforts kept the Saints down-but-not-out for much of the season, including that miserable slog through January and December when none of the four NFC South teams wanted to separate from the pack.

Hopefully things go better in 2023. The Saints have replaced Dalton with Derek Carr, one of this year’s most expensive free agents, and the Panthers are preparing to pick a rookie quarterback for Dalton to help coach up with the first overall draft pick. Atlanta is still rebuilding and Tampa Bay is actively tanking, so this might end up being a two-horse race if Carolina gets that quarterback pick right.

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