Week 10 AFC East Recap: Patriots are the real deal, Mike White falls back to Earth

Every week through the 2021 season, I’ll be recapping the action from around the AFC East. A companion article will be released later each week to preview the upcoming Sunday’s action for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets. Without further ado, let’s break down everything we saw from the AFC East in Week 10.

Week 10 AFC East Standings

1. Buffalo Bills (6-3) overall; (3-0) division
2. New England Patriots (6-4) overall; (2-1) division
3. Miami Dolphins (3-7) overall; (1-2) division
4. New York Jets (2-7) overall; (0-3) division

Week 10 AFC East Scores

Miami Dolphins 22 - Baltimore Ravens 10

Buffalo Bills 45 - New York Jets 17

New England Patriots 45 - Cleveland Browns 7

Week 10 AFC East Headlines

Miami Provides Dolphins Fans With Glimmer of Hope Amid Otherwise Gloomy Season

Where did that come from. Even several days removed from Miami’s Week 10 thrashing of the Baltimore Ravens, it still doesn’t feel real. Miami had performed so poorly against Baltimore in season past, and had performed so poorly over the first nine weeks of the season, that a loss in primetime against the Ravens seemed like a foregone conclusion. Maybe this is the spark the Dolphins needed to get back on track, and with a relatively easy schedule ahead, maybe there’s life to be had in Miami after all.

Mike White Mania Subsides as Bills Rout Jets

Mike White took New York by storm in his Week 8 upset over the then-red hot Cincinnati Bengals, but he came crashing back to Earth in Week 10 against a fearsome Buffalo defense. It appears there will be no quarterback controversy in the Meadowlands. Once Zach Wilson is back to full health, it’d be utterly shocking if head coach Robert Saleh doesn’t trot his second-overall pick out there as the starter. That moment could come as early as this week against Miami.

Patriots Are Legitimate Playoff Contenders... Again

A one-year hiatus was all it took. Bill Belichick has his New England Patriots squarely ready for a playoff run. I won’t jump to any wild conclusions and claim the Patriots are ready to go on another dynastic run; we’ll never see something like the Brady-Belichick era again in professional football. But Mac Jones is far and away the best quarterback from this rookie class (for now) and is playing perfect complementary football alongside a steady running game and strong defense. His impressive Week 10 performance in a lopsided win over the Cleveland Browns showed as much. The Patriots may even be ready to reach for the conference title by the time January rolls around, as this team has only gotten better since the beginning of September.

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