Updated AFC East power rankings: Division full of losses moves the Patriots up

The AFC East has been off to a rough start in 2024, which was made apparent even more with every team losing their matchups in Week 4. Some were worse than others, of course, and it brought up a lot of questions regarding the leaders of the pack. However, those at the top remain at the top for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they're duking it out with the Dolphins at the bottom of the pile. Miami has had some of the worst luck over the last few weeks, and they didn't get much luckier with the additional injuries suffered on Monday night.

It makes the next month of games a lot more interesting to watch, especially as the Bills don't look like an unbeatable team anymore, and the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets were brought back to Earth courtesy of the Denver Broncos.

Updated AFC East power rankings

4. Miami Dolphins (1-3)

The Dolphins have been dealt an unfortunate hand with the unclear future surrounding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Despite the firepower on the roster, it has stunted most offensive production, but they weren't performing at an elite level even before Tagovailoa's injury.

It also doesn't help that they are now on their third-string quarterback, Tyler Huntley, which has really thrown a wrench into Miami's hopes of being a competitive team this season.

They looked everything but against the Titans on Monday Night Football, falling to 1-3 on the season after losing 31-12 to Tennessee. To make matters even worse, injuries are beginning to pile up, lessening the team's chances of getting back on track before it's too late.

3. New England Patriots (1-3)

Knowing that the Patriots were blown out by the 49ers on Sunday might make it questionable to have them move up a spot in the divisional rankings, but there was nearly a 0% chance they were going to walk out of Santa Clara with a win, so their loss was not at all shocking.

Because they lost to such a formidable team and the Dolphins lost to a team they should have easily beaten, New England slides up despite their embarrassing efforts in Week 4.

A lot needs to be fixed if the new regime hopes to win any more games, especially on the offensive line. Injuries are also piling up in Foxboro, especially on offense. So Jerod Mayo and Co. will need to explore their options of adding outside talent if they want their offense to have any chance of being productive this season.

2. New York Jets (2-1)

After their definitive win over the Patriots on Thursday Night Football last week, even if it shouldn't have been as widely praised as it was, it was not expected to see the Jets struggle so much against a very beatable Broncos team.

Unfortunately for New York, that was the case, and Denver beat them in an incredible shootout with a final score of 10-9. Nothing was working for them on offense, even with receiver Mike Williams back in the lineup, and the offensive line was unable to properly protect Aaron Rodgers, who was sacked five times for a loss of 41 yards.

However, they remain in the second spot in the divisional rankings because they are still a team discussed in the higher echelon of the league, so it's difficult to move them much lower unless they put up another stinker next week, which is entirely possible since they're playing the red hot Vikings in London.

1. Buffalo Bills (3-1)

As great as it was to see the almighty fall to the Ravens on Sunday Night Football, it doesn't impact the division much since the Bills are still sitting at the top with a 3-1 record. The offense doesn't appear to have missed much of a beat in Stefon Diggs' absence and Josh Allen continues to do Josh Allen things, including losing fumbles, yet keeping him atop the AFC East as the best quarterback.

They didn't put up much of a fight against the Ravens, who dominated in all facets of the game, especially Derrick Henry, who recorded 24 carries for 199 yards and an 87-yard touchdown.

It was certainly an ugly loss they'll wish they could take back, but they still own the division with no end in sight.

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