Week 5: AFC East Review

Buffalo Bills 24 - 37 Cleveland Browns

Friday night's game saw the Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns.  The team had the unfortunate scenario when their first choice quarterback for the game, Brian Hoyer, was lost through injury during the contest.  Nevertheless second-year quarterback Brandon Weeden rallied his troops to overcome the Buffalo Bills.  With Buffalo leading 24-17 in the third quarter, Weeden found wide receiver Josh Gordon on the left hand side of the field for a touchdown with only 5:53 left in the quarter, in what was Weeden's first touchdown pass since Week 1.  Then, with 1:44 left in the game, safety T.J. Ward intercepted the ball and returned it for 44 yards and a touchdown, ending any comeback hopes for the Bills.  But it wasn't all easy since Weeden was introduced, who had to withstand a total of 5 sacks on the day. For Brian Hoyer, the game ended in heartbreak as he attempted to become the first quarterback in franchise history to win his first three starts on the bounce.  But in the end it ended well for the Browns, who are defying the odds with a 3-2 record.

Baltimore Ravens 26 - 23 Miami Dolphins

In a tight game, the Dolphins lost in the final minute to the heartbreak of fans, players and coaches alike.  Rookie Caleb Sturgis pulled his 57-yard field goal attempt well to the left to end the game in Baltimore's favor.  Tannehill had a solid outing, but was sacked six more times.  Still, the problems persist on the offensive line.  For the Ravens, it was business as usual.  So many times last season Baltimore won tightly-fought contests on their way to their Super Bowl win.  They also reminded everyone that Ray Rice is still a weapon in the NFL.  I don't really want to provide a recap of the game as it was both frustrating as it was promising, and in the end we all know what happened.  But still, the Dolphins remain at 3-2, with an easier schedule coming up on the horizon.  But for now the Dolphins have two weeks to fix the offensive line.

New England Patriots 6 - 13 Cincinnati Bengals

Elsewhere in the AFC, the New England Patriots failed to get in the red zone against a defense that is fast getting a reputation for doing the business against the league's better quarterbacks.  The Bengals ended Tom Brady and the Patriot's streak of 52 consecutive games with a touchdown pass.  It was so impressive that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer received the rain-soaked ball after the game for the manner in which the defense suffocated the Patriot's offense.  Brady never clicked with his receivers against the Bengals, with their impressive pass rush there for all to see.  In the end he finished 18 of 38 for 197 yards with one interception and a lacklustre passer rating of 52.2.  On the other hand Andy Dalton was 20 for 27 for 212 yards with 4 sacks and an interception at the opponent's 8-yard line.

New York Jets 30 - 28 Atlanta Falcons

Another day, another win for the Jets.  Many had written them off for having a blow-out season, but the team are starting to prove those doubters wrong.  With less than two minutes left in the game, the Falcons edged ahead of the Jets.  But that didn't stop Geno Smith who guided his team to a well-fought victory.  Smith completed four straight passes and had an 8-yard run that set up Folk's field goal to end the game.  Smith came into the game with 11 turnovers and eight interceptions, but managed to turn things around in this game.  He even held onto the ball despite being sacked four times.  The game leaves the Falcons at 1-4, while the Jets are at a respectable 3-2.

What did you think of the games this week in the AFC East?  What do the Dolphins need to improve upon?  Will they get it together and get back to winning ways?  We'd love to hear your thoughts.