subject: Nfl Tickets - Midseason Report: Afc East [print this page] Here is a look at the state of the AFC East about halfway through the 2009 NFL season.
New England Patriots (6-2): The Patriots started out sluggish, but have bounced back after stumbling out of the gate. Tom Brady definitely needed to shake off some rust after missing most of the 2008 season with a knee injury. Brady did not look like himself for the first few games of the season, but he's certainly rounding into form and looking more and more like the guy we remember from 2007 who broke records and sold so many NFL tickets. The offense has had some explosive days, but the running game has not been all that consistent. Randy Moss is still a matchup nightmare for any defense and Brady is getting his timing back on short routes with Wes Welker.
The New England defense is solid yet unspectacular, so the offense will have to continue to improve if this team is going to make a deep playoff run. This team certainly won't be lacking in experience come playoff time, though, which sometimes is enough to make a big difference. This team is the overwhelming favorite to win the division right now, though, as none of the other three clubs has done enough to prove that they can challenge the Pats for the AFC East crown.
New York Jets (4-4): The Jets got off to a hot start, winning their first three games of the season, and were media darlings early in the year. Well, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has since come back to earth, as has Rex Ryan's defense. Sanchez looked like a veteran in his first three games as a pro, but has hit some bumps in the road in more recent weeks, which is to be expected. Sanchez has still been impressive overall, though, and this offense is definitely headed in the right direction. The team made a big move when they acquired wide receiver Braylon Edwards from Cleveland before the trade deadline.
The New York defense was tenacious early in the season, but teams have figured out how to exploit the team's personnel in Ryan's blitz-heavy scheme. They're definitely a good defense, though, and could be on the way to big things in the future.
Miami Dolphins (3-5): The preseason thinking was that if the Dolphins struggled, they'd go to Chad Henne at quarterback. Well, the team struggled and didn't even have to make the decision as Chad Pennington went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Henne has been better than anticipated thus far, though the team still relies heavily on the running game. This is a team in a time of transition now, though, so this season is more of a growing process than anything else.
Buffalo Bills (3-5): The Bills nearly stole a win from New England in Week 1, but it's been downhill since for the team. The offense has not been able to get much going, mostly due to the struggles of the offensive line. The team overall has struggled, though, and it should be interesting to see how things play out in Western New York for the remainder of the season and in the upcoming offseason.
