(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The New England Patriots rose from the bottom of the AFC East standings after winning Week 11, and other teams could be on a similar path.
The New England Patriots were the most dominant team in the NFL during the 2000s, but since the loss of key members like Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski, among many others, the team has been looking even more deficient.
This Week 11 match-up against the New York Jets gave them the chance to either widen the gap at the bottom of the standings or tie the Jets to make it easier to advance up, and they pulled off a stunning 10-3 victory to tie the standings. .
Although their offensive line had some very obvious and serious issues, their defense was on another level during this game with cornerback Marcus Jones shooting an incredible 84 yards in the closing moments of the game.
If players like Jones can continue to put in good defensive performances and score, they could be in contention to win the division. It certainly won’t be an easy climb to the top, but they aren’t too far behind the Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins right now, and they have a distinct potential for success with their . 600 record.
They certainly don’t look like Super Bowl contenders considering there are more solid teams in the league, but they do have a few divisional showdowns left this season that could make or break their chances of making it to the top.
Some other seemingly unlikely teams from other divisions could follow the same path as the Patriots as well.
NFC East – New York Giants
The New York Giants are second in the NFC East to the Philadelphia Eagles with a 7-3 record. They caught fire this season with just one loss and remained the only undefeated team in the league until their Week 10 loss to the Washington Chiefs.
However, the Eagles may not be as well off as they seem. They barely picked up a win in Week 11, finishing 17-16 against the Indianapolis Colts. It was their first time playing the Colts this season, but when they faced the Chiefs in Week 3, they pulled off an impressive 24-8 victory. What happened to lead to losing 32-21 weeks 10?
Former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson broke down exactly what the Eagles’ downfall might have been. He noted that the Eagles were constantly scoring early in the games, especially in the second quarter, before the opposing team slowed down their scoring. This indicates that they have a good strategy for the opposing team to work out and adjust accordingly.
As the second half of the season begins and the Eagles begin to take on teams for the second time, the opposing teams are better equipped because they have figured out the strategy and can react accordingly much earlier in the game. Of course, once Johnson pointed this out, the Eagles faced their first loss of the season.
If this proves to be true and the Giants continue to play well, they can sneak away being the division winners.
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