AFC East Report: Week 15

Buffalo Bills (8-6, 2nd AFC East)

Week 15: win (21-13 against the Green Bay Packers, in Buffalo)

The Bills are back in 2nd place in the AFC East after beating the visiting Packers 21-13. Once again, it was Buffalo's defense that played the leading role in the win. The unit gave up only one touchdown on the day, held Green Bay to 333 yards of offense and forced stops on 10 of 14 3rd down plays. Furthermore, safety Bacarri Rambo intercepted two passes (the first of his career) and the Bills' defense scored a safety late in the fourth quarter to effectively seal the game. In short: the defense was dominant; the only blemish being the 158 rushing yards given up (6.3/attempt). The defense was not the only dominant unit, though, as special teams also played a huge role in the win. Dan Carpenter hit all four of his field goal attempts and Marcus Thigpen returned a first quarter punt 75 yards for a touchdown. Additionally, Mario Williams, who also had the Bills' lone sack, blocked a Packers' field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter. While defense and special teams played on a high level, the offense struggled. Kyle Orton (14/27, 158 yds, 1 INT) and company only amassed 253 total net yards and didn't score a touchdown. The Bills, who converted only 4 of 16 3rd down attempts, had trouble moving the ball on the ground (113 yds; 3.4/attempt) and through the air.

Game highlights can be found here.

Miami Dolphins (7-7, 3rd AFC East)

Week 15: loss (13-41 against the New England Patriots, in Foxboro)

Pats Pulpit is already in the process of analyzing this game.

Game highlights can be found here.

New York Jets (3-11, 4th AFC East)

Week 15: win (16-11 against the Tennessee Titans, in Nashville).

In a game between two 2-11 teams, the New York Jets secured their third win of the season. The Jets' defense, which gave up 342 total net yards, held the Titans without a touchdown and allowed just 6 of 16 3rd down attempts to be converted. The unit was solid against both the run (89 yds; 3.2/attempt) and the pass (253 yds; one Quinton Coples sack). It kept the team in the game, especially because the offense got off to a slow start: on the Jets' third possession, quarterback Geno Smith (16/28, 179 yds, 1 TD) was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety. On the next possession, kicker Nick Folk (1/2) missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. After scoring only three points in the first half, the Jets' improved in the second: fullback John Conner caught a nine-yard touchdown pass, and Chris Ivory (12/25 yds, 1 TD) found the end zone from one yard out to put the Jets up 16-11 in the fourth quarter. On the day, the Jets' offense gained only 277 yards (with 100 belonging to receiver Eric Decker) and converted just 2 of 13 3rd down attempts. Furthermore, the offensive line gave up three sacks and four tackles for loss. Rex Ryan's team did just enough to beat the Titans, but it was far from pretty.