In the (6-4) Miami Dolphins’ 22-9 win over the visiting (5-5) Bills on Thursday night, Miami boosted its playoff credentials while Buffalo’s outlook grew dimmer with each hopeless Kyle Orton attempt on third-and-long. The tide in this AFC East matchup turned quickly in the second half as the AFC Wild Card picture shifted shape.
Above the fray?
The New England Patriots (7-2) stand only 1.5 games above the Dolphins in the AFC East and have looked like the NFL’s best team over the past month. The Denver Broncos (7-2) hold a one-game AFC West division lead. And the Indianapolis Colts (6-3) sit two games up in a weak AFC South. Each team seems a solid bet to clinch their division down the stretch to avoid the Wild Card race.
Primed for a run
Over the past three weeks, the Dolphins (6-4) have impressed against teams in the playoff hunt, dominating this week’s Thursday night contest as well as the San Diego Chargers (5-4) in a 37-0 rout. They also took the 7-2 Lions to the brink in Detroit. However, their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs (6-3) could come into play as a tiebreaker. The Chargers should come out of the bye much healthier after suffering greatly without Melvin Ingram, Brandon Flowers and Ryan Mathews for significant lengths of time. KC has already won in San Diego and will host them later this season.
Potentially dangerous teams that still have major question marks
The Baltimore Ravens (6-4) entered their Week 8 road tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3-1) as arguably the hottest team in the AFC, before suffering the second-leg of a season-sweep against their division foe. Perhaps more critically, the loss of Jimmy Smith in that game removes a budding elite cornerback from a secondary struggling pretty much everywhere else. This became blatantly clear in a Week 9 rout at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4), when Ben Roethlisberger launched six touchdowns.
Pittsburgh then went and snapped the Jets’ eight-game losing streak, so it’s tough to bet on or against them regardless of opponent. Although they do have a bad habit of playing down to the level of their competition. Injuries and overall talent also make Dick LeBeau’s unit oddly one of the most vulnerable defenses in the playoff picture. Pittsburgh has already split their home-and-home with the Ravens and division-leading Cleveland Browns (6-3), but has two remaining against Cincy.
The Ohio franchises flipped roles in Week 10, with Cleveland assuming the driver’s seat and the Bengals appearing fatally limited after the Browns ran roughshod over Cincy. Cleveland’s run game still has questions in the post-Alex Mack stage of this season, though Josh Gordon’s return should add a new dynamic. Cincy will desperately hope its defense and quarterback can turn it around and put an end to their downslide.
Long, long (long) shots
The Bills (5-5) and Houston Texans (4-5) each found a temporary boost in a journeyman quarterback. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until journeyman QBs Kyle Orton and Ryan Fitzpatrick showed why so many teams have moved on from them. Fitzpatrick was benched for Ryan Mallett and maybe he’ll be the spark the team needs, but their record is working against them. And with the way Orton has played since the bye and what we’ve seen from E.J. Manuel, the Bills offense is essentially sunk when facing a good pass rush.
It’s highly unlike that either team claws back into contention this year.
