It’s easy to say that the New England Patriots are back to their old dominating ways after their Week 7 performance.
Rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw for two touchdowns while their run game produced four scores.
They scored the most points by any team this season and had 551 total yards on offense.
But don’t let this performance fool you about the Patriots’ resurgence in the middle of the 2021 season.
Mac Jones is the only rookie QB with a PFF Grade above 60 this season 😳
(📸 @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/26hHRxCnCS
— PFF (@PFF) October 26, 2021
New England defeated a lowly New York Jets squad who lost Zach Wilson to injury.
The Jets are so terrible that Mike White won’t be their option at quarterback should Wilson miss games.
Instead, they had to bring back Joe Flacco via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Therefore, the Patriots proved nothing in defeating the Jets because they have the better team.
They are not contenders yet, not even in their division.
Odd Situation For The Patriots
Weirdly, the Patriots are still in the running for an AFC Wild Card spot.
They are just a game behind the Cleveland Browns for the seventh-best record in the conference.
However, they haven’t defeated any significant team this season.
Two of their wins came against a Jets team that has way more problems than Wilson can solve.
“How do we feel about a 54-piece?!”
Inside the locker room after yesterday’s home win. pic.twitter.com/MNdfmg2lF7
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 25, 2021
The Jets became a purgatory for players who found a better situation elsewhere like Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams.
They do more harm than good to their roster by drafting the wrong players annually.
That said, it would be more shocking to see the Jets defeating the Patriots because their roster depths are miles apart.
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans were the other team that the Patriots defeated.
The once-AFC South powerhouse is a model of dysfunction after letting their key players leave in exchange for little to nothing.
Hop, Watt and Cardinals blow out the Texans.
STILL UNDEFEATED 👀 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/ZLJzfUKFzz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2021
Worse, the Patriots won over the Texans by only three points.
Their domination of weaker teams gives them a 34.6 points per game average in their three wins.
That’s a far cry from their 18.75 average points during their four losses.
It’s safe to claim, though, that the Patriots are the second-best team in the division.
Picked it by a pancake 😂@KingDugg_3 | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/SktSZ9IX51
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 26, 2021
The Miami Dolphins look lost, and the Jets need a revamp to change their losing culture.
But being the best in the AFC East is too much to ask because the kings are way better.
Buffalo Will Own The AFC East For A While
The Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Tennessee Titans is a minor blip in their march toward a second-straight division title.
It’s tough to see New England at the same level as Buffalo because the Bills are a complete team.
They have a punishing offense led by Josh Allen, and, unlike in previous years, they already have a reliable run game.
Meanwhile, their defense caught up with their offense’s greatness thanks to rookies Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr.
The Bills got a BIG edge threat in Gregory Rousseau!
He had 15.5 sacks in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, which was the 2nd most in FBS behind Ohio State’s Chase Young (16.5)!
Chase Young was the DROY in 2020 👀 pic.twitter.com/7SktlES4Hk
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 2, 2021
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they will likely drop both of their games against the Bills in the regular season.
But the nightmare of their schedule continues as they face the Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Cleveland Browns in the coming weeks.
That’s five more potential losses for the Patriots, giving them a second-straight losing season.
In contrast, the Bills will proceed to the playoffs, hoping to reach the Super Bowl this time around.
The Bills had a BYE this week! pic.twitter.com/JbIGfIKSxr
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 25, 2021
Only time can tell if the Patriots will reclaim supremacy in the AFC East.
With the way things are going, they have a long way to go before reaching the summit again.
