Outside of the Patriots, no AFC East teams are shoo-ins for the playoffs, but none of the division’s other three clubs are out of the mix quite yet. The Dolphins and Bills will probably have to run the table – or come close to it – to earn postseason berths, so they badly need home wins this weekend against the Ravens and Texans, respectively. Even more interesting will be the battle of New York teams at the Meadowlands, where both the Jets and Giants badly need a win to remain in a comfortable position for a playoff spot.
As we wait to see how the AFC East’s matchups shake out this weekend, let’s round up the latest out of the division….
- Wide receiver Brandon Marshall has yet to play a full season for the Jets, but he’s enjoying his time in New York, and doesn’t have interest in playing anywhere else before the end of his NFL career, as he tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “Once the Jets say, ‘We don’t need you anymore,’ I’m going to venture off into that world,” Marshall said. “I’m not playing for another team. Four is all I need. It’s too hard to make new friends and relationships and deal with different egos. I don’t like the business already. So I’m not trying to deal with that.” Marshall still has two years left on his contract with the Jets after the 2015 season.
- Asked if he believes he could be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Bills, Tyrod Taylor deferred to the club’s decision-makers, as Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News details. “It’s up to the management,” Taylor said. “I’ll just continue to approach each and every day the same way. Hard work. Attitude. Continue to keep working.”
- Having selected DeVante Parker in the first round of the 2015 draft, the Dolphins view the rookie as a building block and an eventual starter, meaning the club can afford to let wide receiver Rishard Matthews walk in free agency this winter, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker thinks there’s only about a 20% chance that Miami re-signs Matthews.
I’m guessing Taylor will get another shot as the Bills’ starter next year. For one, the Bills won’t be in position to land a franchise prospect via the draft, and soon-to-be available vets like Kaepernick and RG3 aren’t more enticing. Two, Taylor’s cheap, which is important for a team whose cap situation isn’t great. Further, he has shown positive signs – arm strength, mobility, and top six leaguewide in completion percentage, YPA and rating. On the other hand, he sometimes fails to go through his progressions and doesn’t use the middle of the field enough, to name a couple weaknesses. It’s not totally his fault, though, as the O-line’s pass blocking is awful and the WR corps is very weak outside of Watkins. The Bills need to get Taylor more help in the offseason to find out whether he can take advantage of it and actually be their long-term answer. For now, his debut season as a starter has been more encouraging than discouraging.