AFC East standings after week five of the 2022 NFL season
The AFC East is turning into quite the division, and with some surprising starts, the division standings after week five are interesting. Three of four teams in the division did some nice winning on Sunday. After five weeks, it’s become a bit of a competitive race.
I think it’s clear that the Buffalo Bills are going to end up running away with the division title and likely will take the first or second playoff seed, but don’t count out the other three teams to hang around in the Wild Card race.
What do the AFC East standings look like after week five?
AFC East standings after week five
1. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
After an absolute drubbing of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bills look even more powerful than before. Both sides of the ball for Buffalo are truly elite, and they’re doing this while banged up. It’s scary to think how good this team can end up becoming. Outside of a shaky secondary, there is no major weakness on this roster, and Josh Allen is playing like a true MVP candidate.
2. New York Jets (3-2)
Don’t look now, but the New York Jets, the Jets, are 3-2 after five weeks and are second in the division. If the season ended today, the Jets would be the 5th seed in the AFC. It’s clear that they are still a year or two away from being a true contender, and they did benefit from bad quarterback play from their opponents in back to back weeks, but wins are wins, and the Jets are 3-2.
Robert Saleh’s gang appear to be headed on the right track. They do have a -2 point differential Tand are 1-2 at home, so they aren’t a very convincing 3-2.
3. Miami Dolphins (3-2)
After starting 3-0, the Dolphins have lost two in a row, but the team is still in good hands with Mike McDaniel. Teddy Bridgewater left the game with an injury very early on, so it was Skylar Thompson, the rookie, to try and come away with a win.
The Dolphins are going to be just fine when they get healthy, and if the season ended today, they’d be the 7th and final seed. There really isn’t a ton more to say. If one of their top two quarterbacks were healthy, they’d have likely come away with the win. The team has a -16 point differential and are 2-0 at home.
4. New England Patriots (2-3)
The only team in the AFC East without a winning record is the New England Patriots. Their 29-0 win on Sunday against the Detroit Lions was the best performance of the weekend, aside from what the Bills did.
It was total domination on both sides of the ball, and should serve as some cautious optimism as the team heads into four very winnable games before their bye week. The Patriots have a positive point differential and are 1-1 at home.