New England Patriots: Path to AFC East Title easier with Ryan Tannehill injury
By Stephen Ur
The New England Patriots were already the clear cut team to win the AFC East. With the injury to Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, that path to the AFC East title is easier.
Miami is the only team in the division that has given the New England Patriots any type of trouble when they face off the last few seasons. That was with Ryan Tannehill under center. Now that he’s gone, their matchups will be easier.
Signing Colin Kaepernick would make sense for the Dolphins, but not even he could be any competition for the Patriots defense. They are very good in coverage in the secondary, which would make it more difficult to throw the ball.
His running ability could be a problem for the Patriots to contain, but not that big a problem. If they can shut him down on the ground before he breaks open, he won’t be much of a problem at all.
Should the Dolphins sign Jay Cutler, there will be no difficulty stopping him at all. Sometimes, Cutler even finds himself stopping himself. He will not be a problem for the Patriots to contain when they meet this season.
New England was already projected to go undefeated by some, which meant they would win the AFC East by at least seven games. Now that Tannehill could potentially be out for the season, that number will increase.
The Dolphins open up their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 10. The Patriots open their season on Thursday, Sept. 7. Both teams will face off against one another on Nov. 26 and Dec. 11.
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Depending on what the Dolphins decide to do at quarterback could have a huge impact on the AFC. As a possible AFC playoff team, the injury to Tannehill will certainly have a ripple effect on not only the AFC East, but the entire AFC