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NFL: Report card grades in the AFC East for week 8

It took nine weeks, but we finally had a week where all four teams in the AFC East won! With the Patriots (6-2) and Bills (5-2) setting the pace in the division, the Dolphins (2-6) and Jets (1-7) both kept up this week. All around, the division gets an A for this week! Let’s take a look at the AFC East Report Cards to see how each team graded out for Week 8.

New England Patriots

Oct 26, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Week 8 Overall Grade: A-

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The Patriots won their fifth straight with a 32-13 home victory over the Browns and still control the AFC East. New England is close to equaling their win totals from 2023 and 2024 combined, with another home game against the 3-4 Atlanta Falcons on deck. The Mike Vrabel Era is off to a great start.

Week 8 Offensive Grade: A-

Drake Maye had another big week with 282 passing yards and three touchdowns, while TreVeyon Henderson had his best game as a pro with 75 rushing yards. If the Patriots can finally get their running game unlocked, they’re going to be a tough offense to stop as the season wears on.

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Week 8 Defensive Grade: A

There wasn’t much to dislike about what the Patriots defense did on Sunday. Despite allowing an opening drive score, they mainly held the Browns offense in check. Cleveland only tallied 213 total yards on the day while scoring just 13 points. The Patriots also only allowed 68 rushing yards on the day and have become one of the best run defenses in the league.

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Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates placekicker Matt Prater field goal to win against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates placekicker Matt Prater field goal to win against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium – Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Week 8 Bye Week Grade: A

The Bills needed this 40-9 win badly as they’d lost two straight games heading into their Week 7 bye. Their offense still had some work to do, but the defense held the Panthers to just nine total points on the day. Hard to give them less than an A with this type of performance.

Week 8 Offensive Grade: A

Josh Allen didn’t have to do much as he only threw 19 times for 163 yards, as James Cook stole the show with 216 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Bills probably still need another impact receiver at the trade deadline, but they’re tough to stop when Cook is running on all cylinders.

Week 8 Defensive Grade: A

The Panthers only put up 244 total yards on the day, with just 130 of those coming through the air. This was a much-needed performance from the Bills defense as they’d been gashed by the Falcons before their bye. The only downside of the game was that Ed Oliver was lost for the season with a pectoral injury.

Miami Dolphins

Oct 19, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Week 8 Overall Grade: A

It’s hard to pick on a 2-6 team after they get their second win of the season in Week 8, so we’re not going to do it. The 34-10 win over the Falcons was a big one for the Dolphins, and they deserve an A for going on the road and blowing Atlanta out.

Miami Dolphins Week 8 Offensive Grade: A-

There are some bones to pick here, but the Dolphins put up 34 points on the road and didn’t turn the ball over. Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdowns and shook off his recent interception woes, while De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, and Ollie Gordon all found the end zone.

Miami Dolphins Week 8 Defensive Grade: A

The Falcons looked awful on offense on Sunday on their way to putting up just 10 points. Bijan Robinson managed just 25 rushing yards on the day, and Kirk Cousins only had 173 passing yards. The Falcons obviously missed Michael Penix and Drake London, but credit where credit is due to the Dolphins defense as well.

New York Jets

Oct 26, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Week 8 Overall Grade: A+

An A+ might be a bit too high, but we’ll give it to the Jets as they earned their first win of the season with a wild 39-38 comeback win over the Bengals. There are no zero-winless teams left in the NFL as the Jets finally got into the win column on Sunday.

Week 8 Offensive Grade: A+

The Jets had the most total yards in the league on Sunday with 502 on the day. Breece Hall was a monster with 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Fields may have saved his job (for now) with 244 passing yards, one touchdown (to win the game), and zero interceptions.

Week 8 Defensive Grade: B

It’s hard to go with a much higher grade than the Bengals had almost 400 yards of offense on the day and put up 38 points. The Jets D did hold, however, when needed, as they forced a punt and then a turnover on downs on the last two possessions of the game, so we’ll stick with a solid B here.

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