The AFC East will send one team to the playoffs this year, and that’s the New England Patriots who have secured the number one seed in the conference. For awhile, it seemed the East could potentially send a few teams to the playoffs, but while they faltered the Pats strived. Here’s a look at this week’s matchups.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, Sunday 1:05p.m. EST
The Patriots are the number one seed in the conference and will have the bye entering the playoffs. They are coming off a 17-16 victory over the New York Jets last week, but will be at home this weekend where they are dominating. The Pats have Super Bowl aspirations, and this game is no way meaningless. They’ve struggled in certain aspects of the game through the course of the season and will look to improve before the playoffs begin.
For the Bills, any playoff hopes they had were crushed last week with their 26-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Buffalo has shown a lot of improvement this season and will look to build off that success for next season. Their quarterback situation is a concern as Kyle Orton replaced EJ Manuel, and is something they will address this offseason.
When it comes to this game, the Buffalo defense has been tough this year and the Pats offensive line has struggled as Tom Brady has been pressured. The Bills will look to get one more win, and the Pats will look to continue their dominance at Gillette Stadium.
Final Prediction
Bills 16 Patriots 27
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins, Sunday 1:05p.m. EST
The Jets disappointing season is finally coming to an end. At 3-12, they have been through the ringer this year, struggling in every aspect of the game. They had a close matchup with the Patriots last week losing 17-16, but they have several things to address this offseason.
The Dolphins looked to be playoff caliber early on, but lost some crucial games and are now out of the race. Last week they were victorious over the Minnesota Vikings 37-35, but will play in a meaningless game against the Jets to end their season.
This is a matchup that should be dominated by the Dolphins. The Jets have struggled to put points on the board and the Dolphins have an offense capable of putting up big numbers.
Final Prediction
Jets 14 Dolphins 31