The next 4 weeks

We are a quarter of the way into the season and, judging by the standings, the Patriots are pulling a Secretariat and running away with the AFC East, leaving the Jets, Bills and Dolphins far behind. The Pats stand alone atop the East with a 4-0 mark, while the Jets and Bills sit in second place with 1-3 marks and the Dolphins reside in the cellar at 0-4. But how will the standings look at the season’s midway point? Lets take a look at the next 4 games for each team.

Bills: Dallas, bye, Baltimore, @NY Jets, Cincinnati

With 3 home dates in their next 4 games the Bills have a great shot at adding a few wins to their record. The Monday night game against Dallas this week looks like an extremely tall test, but the next 3 games are all winnable. Sure, they may not be favored to win in any of them, but if they play the same mistake-free football that got them their first win against the Jets they should be able to hit the midpoint with a respectable 3-5 mark.

Dolphins: @Houston, @Cleveland, New England, NY Giants

The Phins take the show on the road for 2 weeks before coming home for 2 heading into their Week 9 bye. Thankfully the road opponents aren’t having great seasons, either, so look for Miami to get their first win of the season in Houston or Cleveland. If they come home 0-2, it may be near impossible to get a win in the first half of the season. Dolphins fans everywhere are hoping to see them go into the bye with at least a 2-6 record.

Jets: @NY Giants, Philadelphia, @Cincinnati, Buffalo

The Battle for the Meadowlands highlights the Jets next 4 games as they take on the NFC East for a couple games before getting back into some AFC action. The first two games come against a couple of Jekyll and Hyde teams in New York and Philadelphia. If the bumbling Giants and Eagles show up the Jets could easily win both games, but if the powerhouse version of either team comes to play, well, I don’t see things going Gang Green’s way. We’ll call it a split for now. The next two games are ones that the Jets should win. Cincinnati showed some major flaws over the past few weeks, so look for the Jets to exploit those same weaknesses. And playing a division rival is never easy, but playing them at home helps a lot. Its not crazy to think the Jets could finish the first half at an even 4-4.

Patriots: Cleveland, @Dallas, @Miami, Washington

Sure, everybody wants to talk about 16-0, but lets see if they can get to 8-0 first. The Pats should have no trouble with the Browns, but the next two weeks won’t be fun. The matchup in Dallas could be a Super Bowl preview as both teams should go into the game at 5-0. And New England always has troubles down in Miami, so you can never anticipate a Pats win there. The game against Washington is another Jekyll and Hyde game, although a banged-up Redskins team should fall to the Pats in Foxboro. While I anticipate the Patriots hitting the midpoint at 8-0, I would not be shocked at all to see them go in at 7-1 or even 6-2.