Week 7: AFC Review

In interim head coach Dan Campbell's second game in charge, Miami were eager to pull up a big win to get their season well and truly back on track. Before we bring you the review of that game, lets check out some of the other results from across the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills 31 - 34 Jacksonville Jaguars

The second NFL game of this season produced an absolute cracker, as the Bills took on the Jaguars in front of over 84,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London. The Jaguars got off to a fast start as they raced to a 27-3 lead, courtesy EJ Manuels' early struggles, who was starting his second game in a row in the absence of Tyrod Taylor.

However, it wasn't all good news for Jacksonville as they blew their huge lead, and almost let the Buffalo Bills take the game from right under their noses. A key play of the game came when the Jaguars had the football on Buffalo's 1-yard line, leading 27-13 in the third quarter. Four times, the Jaguar's attempted to run the football with running back Toby Gerhart. Failure to score really hurt the Jaguars, as the Bills went on to take a 31-27 lead with only minutes to spare.

Luckily, Blake Bortles saved the day with only 2 minutes and 16 seconds left on the clock, with a neat touchdown pass to Allen Hurns, in a 34-31 win.

New York Jets 23 - 30 New England Patriots

Can anyone stop the New England Patriots?  The New York Jets almost did as New England struggled during the first three quarters, before Tom Brady stepped up with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to remain unbeaten. Drops remain an issue on the New England offense, but their short passing game managed to shut out the Jets in New England.

New York almost made it a nerve-wracking finale when they recovered an onside kick with almost 15 seconds to go, but a penalty on Brandon Marshall all but finished the game with the Jets needing 37 additional yards for the touchdown.

The Jets fall to 4-2, while the Patriots move up to 6-0.

Houston Texans 26 - 44 Miami Dolphins

In Dan Campbell's second game in charge, the Miami Dolphins absolutely pummeled the Houston Texans, taking a 41-0 lead at half time, as Ryan Tannehill completed 18 passes from 19, for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns. Not since the days of Dan Marino have the Miami Dolphins scored more than 28 points in the first half, and they absolutely trumped that on Sunday.

It was a different story in the second half, as the Texans managed to claw back 26 points to make the game a little more respectable.

Apart from Ryan Tannehill, who set a new NFL record with 25 consecutive passes, running back Lamar Miller was brilliant. With the majority of his touches coming in the first half, he wracked up 175 yards on only 14 carries, with 1 touchdown. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry also had a strong game, receiving 5 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.

After a big 38-10 win against the Tennessee Titans, Dan Campbell is now the first interim head coach since 2006 to win his first two games in charge. What's all the more impressive is how he has managed to turn the team around, and make them into a real dominant force that we all know they are capable of.

The real test, however, lies ahead. The Dolphins have 3 consecutive road games against the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles. While the offense is starting the click, and things are coming together on defense, Miami must take at least two of those games to stand a chance of making the playoffs.

For now, lets bask in the glory of winning the past two games so convincingly. Feels good, right?

Alex Parish is an Associate Editor at The Phinsider. Be sure to follow me on Twitter@AlexParish89.