Youth in the AFC East

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Mark Awadallah

The AFC East quarterbacks are very young and very talented. Atop the division, the expected favorite of the AFC East, are the Buffalo Bills led by QB Josh Allen, coming off his new 6-year, $258 million extension. Josh Allen just a season ago carried the young Buffalo Bills into the postseason for just the third time since 1999. In just 16 games with the Bills in 2020, Allen completed 69.2% of his passes and threw for 37 TDs against just 10 interceptions. His season was nothing short of remarkable and he looks to continue to dominate the AFC East for many years to come.

The newest QB to the division is now Patriots starting QB Mac Jones, 15th overall pick out of Alabama, after Cam Newton was released early Tuesday morning. This move came with a lot of surprise, as Bill Belichick stated that Cam Newton is the starting QB until he is outperformed. He was clearly outperformed in training camp and in the preseason games, making Bill’s decision a lot easier to start the young bull. Jones finished third in 2020 Heisman voting, falling behind just his teammate DeVonta Smith and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Jones is scouted as a pocket passer with an extremely accurate arm, although maybe lacking velocity and throw power. Jones will look to take his experience from Nick Sabin and use it in a big way to make a splash in the AFC East.

Entering his second season in the NFL, Tua Tagovailoa will get 100% of the snaps for the Miami Dolphins this year as long as he remains healthy. Last year, after just a few brief plays in a blowout win against the Jets, Tua was named the dolphins starting QB, a team with playoff aspirations backed by a strong defense. Although the season had many ups and downs, including Fitzpatrick playing as the relief QB for a number of games, Tua is looking to grow in this offensive system built solely around him. Tua finished last season with a 64.1% completion percentage, throwing 11 TDs and 5 interceptions. In his time at Alabama, when healthy, Tua was a force that could place the football wherever he wanted to. I expect much of the same command of the football as he continues to master this offense and with Tua in-form the Dolphins can be genuine playoff contenders this season.

Lastly, the number two overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU. The Jets and Joe Douglas fell head over heels in love with Zach Wilson’s tape and persona, prompting them to make a big move. In the offseason, the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for 3 draft picks, including a second rounder. Wilson will be acquainted into a new offense led by Head Coach Robert Saleh and Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Wilson had a very strong preseason for the Jets, showing shades of why he was the number two pick in the draft. If he is put in a position to succeed on offense, unlike Darnold was, Wilson can turn out to be the missing puzzle piece that can finally turn the franchise around. If the same old Jets show up with no pass protection, bad play calling, etc. they will forever wonder what could have been if they kept on to Sam Darnold. Wilson will need to play at a high-level almost immediately to not be overlooked in this very tough division.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

What to Expect this Wild-Card Weekend?

Author: William Goldmark

Editor: Fran Attié

Saturday:

1:05 PM: No. 7 Indianapolis Colts at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (-6.5)

These are not your mother and father’s Buffalo Bills. This team is for real. Sitting at 13-3, (which would be 14-2 if not for a certain Arizona Cardinals Hail Mary), Josh Allen and his crew closed out the season by winning six straight double-digit games. Furthermore, Philip Rivers has a sub .500 record while playing in the postseason. So, while a tough Indianapolis defense should prevent this one from becoming a landslide, Buffalo’s offense is far too electric to bet against.

My pick: Buffalo (-6.5)

4:40 PM: No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)

For all the criticism Seattle’s defense has endured throughout 2020, the Seahawks have not given up more than 23 points in a game for the entire second half of the season. Additionally, they will now face a Rams offense that only mustered 9 points in their previous week 16 meeting, and struggled to materialize anything offensively against the New York Jets the week before—yes, the 0-13 Jets. Mr. Unlimited and wideout phenom DK Metcalf should be able to win this one comfortably in the Seahawks’ home building.

My pick: Seattle (-3.5)

8:15 PM: No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-9) at No. 4 Washington Football Team

While Washington’s 7-9 record is far from intimidating, it is worth noting that they are actually 5-1 when future Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith is under center. It is also worth noting that Tom Brady’s lack of mobility may be an issue against Washington’s disruptive front seven. It would be quite a surprise to see Tampa exit the playoffs after the first round, but Washington should be able to make this a defensive-minded game that comes down to the wire.

My pick: Washington (+9)

Sunday:

1:05 PM: No. 5 Baltimore Ravens at No. 4 Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

Baltimore will absolutely be playing with a chip on their shoulder on Sunday. Earlier this season, the Ravens blew a two-possession lead to the Titans before losing in overtime. Even worse, in last year’s Divisional Round, Tennessee shocked the NFL by manhandling Baltimore, raising tons of speculation regarding Lamar Jackson’s ability to perform in the big moments. It is likely that Lamar ‘took this personal’, and after very quietly ending their season on a 5-game win streak, the former MVP will be looking to pull off an upset.

My pick: Baltimore (+3.5)

4:40 PM: No. 7 Chicago Bears at No. 2 New Orleans Saints (-10)

The Chicago Bears rounded out the season with an 8-8 record and a +2 point differential, meaning they are the perfect definition of a mediocre football team. However, this Bears defense tends to keep their offense in games, as Chicago has not allowed more than 30 points this year to a team not led by Aaron Rodgers. Furthermore, the Saints’ inconsistent postseason play in recent years makes it difficult to be confident in them winning by double digits. In possibly his last opportunity to prove he can be a starting quarterback, expect Mitchell Trubisky to keep his squad in the game.

My pick: Chicago (+10)

8:15 PM: No. 6 Cleveland Browns at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers (-6)

Last Sunday, Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns defended their home turf and beat the Mason Rudolph-led Pittsburgh Steelers. Fast-forward one week: the Browns will be without their head coach after he tested positive for Covid-19; the game will be played at Heinz Field, where Cleveland has not been victorious since 2003; and of course, 2x Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger will be back in action after a week of rest. So, while Pittsburgh has lost 4 of their last 5 games, and Cleveland deserves plenty of credit for finally ending their 18-year playoff drought, this rivalry has been one-sided for decades and that will not change on Sunday night.

My pick: Pittsburgh (-6)

*Game lines accurate as of 1/7/21

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The Rise of Josh Allen

Author: Sal Vassallo

Editor: Mark Awadallah

With the 6th pick in the 2018 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select Josh Allen, Quarterback from Wyoming. In 2018 the Buffalo Bills were in search of a new signal caller. Coming off a season in which they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wildcard game, the Bills had finally ended their 18-year playoff drought, despite losing they were headed in the right direction. While then QB Tyrod Taylor helped the team make the playoffs, it appeared the Bills were still in the hunt for a new signal caller. They appeared to pick a great time as the 2018 draft was known as the year of the quarterback, with five top QB prospects up for grabs in Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen. With Mayfield and Darnold off the board, the Bills decided to go with the player with a big arm from Wyoming, that being Josh Allen. Allen was known for having an exceptionally strong arm with the ability to make all the throws the Bills need.

The two main chips on Josh Allen’s shoulder are his lesser competition playing at a smaller school like Wyoming and his accuracy. While his accuracy issues showed his rookie season, he finished with a low 52 completion percentage. However, the raw talent with Josh Allen was something Bills fans could get excited about. Allen has displayed not only the ability to throw the ball deep but his creativity with his legs, truly a sight to behold. In his second year, the Bills continued building around their franchise QB by bolstering their offensive line with signings such as center Mitch Morse. In year two, Josh Allen would improve from his year one statistics, finishing with 3089 passing yards (over 1000 yards more than his rookie year), twenty touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His completion percentage was still at a mediocre 58 and the Bills were beaten by the Texans in a heartbreaking loss in their wildcard game last year. However, Josh Allen had taken the next step to becoming the man in Buffalo.

Fast forward to 2020 and Allen now finds himself in the MVP conversation. Once we get to the offseason, the Bills wanted to help Josh Allen with his accuracy. One great way to do that is to have a reliable receiver to catch Allen’s throws. This is where Minnesota steps in. In 2019, the Minnesota Vikings were a good team, and the emergence of receiver Adam Theilen has pushed fellow receiver Stefon Diggs further down on the depth chart. Diggs clashes constantly with his feelings on his role in the offense. Diggs, known as a deep ball threat, had a huge problem as Vikings QB Kirk Cousins had a bit of trouble when it came to throwing a clean deep ball. After a year of frustrations, the Vikings shipped Diggs to Buffalo for a boatload of draft capital from Buffalo including a first rounder in 2020. With the pandemic ensuing, fans questioned whether Diggs and Josh Allen could build chemistry fast enough for the start of the season with training camp being so short. As it turns out, Diggs and Allen are a match made in heaven.

Compared to year one, Allen now has a bolstered O line and a receiving corps of Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley. The Bills have done a terrific job building around Allen and the team of head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll have coached Allen into some great numbers this season. Heading into week 17 Allen has 4,320 passing yards with 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He has helped Buffalo win the AFC East for the first time since 1995 and has finally broken New England’s vice grip on the division. As the Bills now March into the playoffs a stronger team than last year I would consider them a favorite to at least make the AFC title game. They currently hold the number two seed in the AFC and are slated to take on the Cleveland Browns at home if the playoffs started today. This rise in power for Allen and the Bills is nothing short of spectacular and I alongside other fans are expecting them to make a deep run this year.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE