And in Week 10, the mighty Buffalo Bills -- preseason Super Bowl favorites who have outscored their opponents by a league-best average of 11 points per game -- fell into third place.
If ever there was an NFL Week 10 development just begging to be overreacted to, this might be it.
Josh Allen started and didn't look like a guy whose elbow was bothering him, but the Bills blew a 17-point lead at home and lost their second game in a row. The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, absolutely rolled the Cleveland Browns and now occupy first place all alone in the AFC East -- with a head-to-head win against Buffalo in their pocket.
The New York Jets, idle this week, have the same record as Buffalo but also have a head-to-head win against the Bills.
And the New England Patriots, also on a bye this week, lurk just one game behind -- the only fourth-place team in the league with a winning record.
A combination of things is responsible for the AFC East being the most interesting division in the world. Part of it is the Dolphins' lightning-strike offense, coached by Mike McDaniel and powered by Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Tua Tagovailoa. Part of it is Allen's sudden tendency to throw end zone interceptions. Part of it is the Jets having a better all-around roster than a lot of people realized, and part of it is the Patriots just getting the most out of what they have.
But I want to start the Week 10 Overreactions column with the Dolphins and the Bills because they both played Sunday, and their results seem to be the most relevant to the NFL's playoff picture (including, by the way, the NFC one, because no, I haven't forgotten about the team that came back to beat Buffalo in this one). First up this week are the Dolphins, because, frankly, they've earned it.
