We’re more than halfway through the season, and the AFC East has gotten really interesting. With just eight weeks to go in the season, the New England Patriots (9-2) are still leading the division over the Buffalo Bills (6-3), Miami Dolphins (3-7), and New York Jets (2-7). With three of the four teams in the division winning this week, let’s take a look at the Week 10 AFC East Takeaways.
New England Patriots:
Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The Patriots are in control of the AFC East
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While the Patriots have an extra game on the Bills because they haven’t had their bye week yet, they’ve now opened up a 1.5 game lead over Buffalo (and currently hold the tiebreaker due to their head-to-head win – with one more head-to-head matchup to go). While the Bills have some time, the Patriots have opened up a bit of a cushion in the AFC East after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-23.
Drake Maye is human after all
While Drake Maye still threw for 270 yards, he only went 16-31 with two touchdowns and one (very badly timed) interception, and that led to his first quarterback rating of less than 100 in eight weeks. While 89.4 is still pretty darned good, Maye showed signs of being mortal against a good Buccaneers defense.
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Buffalo Bills:
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III has a wide open are to run the ball during first half action against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 2, 2025.
The Buffalo Bills are showing cracks
After a big win against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills had a big letdown in their 30-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. While we can probably write this one up, letting their foot off the gas and/or Miami being a tough place to play, it’s got to be a little worrisome for Bills fans to see their team get blown out by the lowly Dolphins.
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As James Cook goes…so do the Bills
The Bills have won six games this year, and James Cook has rushed for over 100 yards in five of those six games. The Bills have lost three games this year, and James Cook has rushed for 85 or fewer yards in all three of those games. Causation? Correlation? Noise? Maybe all of the above, but the Bills aren’t the same team when James Cook doesn’t get going.
Miami Dolphins:
Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (28) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
Win of the season for the Dolphins
The Dolphins’ 2025 season was going so badly that they became sellers at the trade deadline. So it goes without saying that their 30-13 home win against the Bills was quite unexpected. While the 3-7 Dolphins will more or less have to run the table to make the playoffs, anything is still technically possible.
De’Von Achane is the Dolphins’ MVP
While the Dolphins have struggled this year, De’Von Achane has been an exception to that rule. He’s in the midst of the best year of his young career, and added another 174 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards to go along with two touchdowns. Achane has easily been the Dolphins’ best player this season and has solidified himself as one of the best running backs in the league.
New York Jets
New York Jets running back Breece Hall runs with the ball during an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins in 2025
New York Jets running back Breece Hall runs with the ball during an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins in 2025 | Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A win is a win in New York
While the Jets won 27-20 against the Browns, it was one of the stranger wins of the season. They only had 169 yards of total offense, and Justin Fields only threw for 54 yards on 6-11 passing with one touchdown and one interception. Breece Hall did most of the work for the Jets on the day as he led the team in both rushing (84 yards) and receiving (42 yards and a touchdown).
Special teams leads the way for the Jets
The Jets now have their second win of the season, and special teams played a huge part in the win. The Jets first 14 points came from a kickoff return for a touchdown and then a punt return for a touchdown. On a day when Justin Fields only threw for 54 yards, the Jets needed all the help that they could get.
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