Week 6 serves up another box of surprises in AFC East

In a season that seems to be serving up an inordinate number of surprise results, maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the AFC East was awash with shocking results this past weekend.

Firstly, the normally unflappable New England Patriots fell in the Pacific Northwest and then the Bills actually won a game on the road, while the Jets looked, well, un-Jet-like. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise week, but it certainly felt like one.

New England Patriots 23, Seattle Seahawks 24

An upset win for the Seahawks over the Patriots has left Tom Brady and Co. pondering what other potential slip-ups lay ahead in this unpredictable season.

No stranger to fourth quarter drama this weekend, New England was involved in another close game on Sunday as Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks provided some twelfth hour heroics.

The Patriots (3-3) built a 23-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and looked to be a lock to take the game. A resilient Seahawks (4-2) team had other ideas, and with just 9:21 left in the game, rookie quarterback Wilson started the unthinkable comeback.

The ’hawks scored on a 10-yard pass to Braylon Edwards on a do-or-die fourth down, before Wilson found Sydney Rice for a 46-yarder with 1:18 left in the game. The Patriots, so famous for their comebacks, failed to get it done, with a Tom Brady pass to Wes Welker coming up short on fourth down.

Brady finished the game with 395 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 36/58 passing. Those 58 pass attempts were a career high.

The spotlight however was firmly on his rookie counterpart. Wilson tallied 293 yards on 16/27 passing with three touchdowns and a career-best 91.4 QBR.

The Patriots slip to 3-3, and a share of first place in the AFC East with, well, everybody. Bettors can expect another unexpected loss to impact the NFL Futures, with questions arising as to the potential success the Pats can have this season.

Up Next: Vs. New York Jets (3-3)

 

Buffalo Bills 19, Arizona Cardinals 16 (OT)

While a New England loss will always raise a few eyebrows, a Buffalo road win will have bettors spitting out their cereal as they read the Monday papers. A Buffalo road win was on tap Sunday afternoon.

After being mauled at the hands of New England and San Francisco over the past two weeks, few expected the Bills to leave the Sonoran Desert with anything more than a loss. Even Arizona’s surprise loss to St. Louis didn’t put oddsmakers off in this one, particularly as the Cardinals were coming off 10 days’ rest.

In a typically scrappy game, offensive yards were at a premium with neither side staking a claim to a victory. Buffalo took a 16-13 lead late in the third quarter on Fred Jackson’s one-yarder, but the Cardinals tied in the fourth with a mammoth 64-yard Jay Feely field goal.

It looked as though the Bills were done for as Arizona lined-up a 38-yarder late, but the ball was tipped by defensive tackle Alex Carrington, ultimately forcing overtime.

Still, the going looked tough for the Bills. The overtime period marked the sixth time a Cardinals home game has gone to the extra frame in the last nine, and Arizona hadn’t lost any of them.

An interception by Jarius Byrd and a 25-yard field goal by Rian Lindell gave the Bills an unexpected road win – the second of this season, eclipsing last year’s mark of just one.

Buffalo (3-3) now returns home from a tough road schedule buoyed by the upset victory, while the Cardinals (4-2) look to regroup.

Up Next: Vs. Tennessee Titans (2-4)

Indianapolis Colts 9, New York Jets 35

Shonn Greene's career day led the New York Jets to a blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts.

It was supposed to be a close game. The Jets were reeling, having lost three of the last four and that one win coming in overtime against the Dolphins. The Colts were riding high on last week’s upset of the Green Bay Packers. Oddsmakers had the Jets as narrow (two-point) favorites at home. It was anything but close.

The Jets (3-3) cruised to victory on the back of Shonn Greene’s career-high 161 rushing yards, which culminated in three touchdowns. Joe McKnight added 71 yards for good measure in a game that saw the Colts (2-3) fail miserably to stop the run. Much maligned these past few weeks; Mark Sanchez had an easier week, throwing just 18 pass attempts for 11 completions, 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The defense meanwhile limited the Colts to three Adam Viniatieri field goals.

In no way, shape or form does this steady a very rocky New York ship, but a win was much needed and that’s exactly what Rex Ryan’s side got. Next week’s game against New England – which might just be a must-win for both teams – will be intriguing to say the least. Just which Jets team will turn up?

Up Next: at New England Patriots (3-3)

St. Louis Rams 14, Miami Dolphins 17

As the Rams arrived at Miami Gardens, stock in the Dolphins was on the rise. Oddsmakers had the Fins as 2½-point favorites at opening, but that figure had extended to 4½ by game time. Still, a St. Louis win would not have been that big of an upset.

An upset wasn’t on the cards. A Miami side that has been unlucky in so many of its games this season rode out the storm, and a 66-yard field goal attempt, to emerge victorious.

It was a rough day at the office for the Dolphins (3-3), who managed just 192 offensive yards. That compared to the 462 put up by St. Louis (3-3). Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards but failed to record a touchdown strike. In fact, the Rams were restricted to two field goals until the fourth quarter, when Bradford himself went in from the one yard.

The stifling Miami defense complimented a solid performance from Ryan Tannehill, who compiled 185 yards and two touchdowns on 21/29 passing.

In the end, it came down to St. Louis’ rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein attempting a would-be record-breaking 66-yarder on the final play of the game. Almost amazingly, the kick had the distance but sailed wide right, giving the Dolphins a second straight win in what was the team’s fourth consecutive game decided by four points or less.

Ultimately, it was the sort of performance the Dolphins will most likely need all season, and a win that suggests that Miami may not be the AFC East doormat this season. In fact, with all four teams registering a 3-3 record, it may be worth questioning whether there will be any separation in the division this year.

Up Next: Bye