Six weeks into the season, the AFC East has been anything but predictable. The top-spot free-for-all started 10 minutes into the season, when Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard collapsed Tom Brady's left knee, landing the Patriots' star quarterback on injured reserve until 2009.
The Bills currently lead the division after a 4-1 start, but starting quarterback Trent Edwards is trying to bounce back from a concussion that knocked him out the team's Week 5 loss to the Cardinals. The Dolphins have already doubled their win total from last season's 1-15 effort, but much of their offensive success is a result of the 'Wildcat' formation, which features running back Ronnie Brown in the shotgun while quarterback Chad Pennington lines up at wide receiver. And the Jets, who revamped their roster through free agency and trades this offseason -- Brett Favre being the most notable acquisition -- are currently 3-2, one game behind the Bills, and tied with a Patriots team nobody has faith in.
New York's end-of-season fate could be determined over the next four weeks. Tomorrow, they play the Raiders, a team that only looks less hapless when compared to the Jets' opponent next week: the Chiefs. Then a division showdown against the Bills, before hosting the Rams. Worst case, New York should be 6-3 in a month's time, and if they're lucky, 7-2.
The second half of the schedule is tougher, if only because it can't get any easier than a Raiders, Chiefs, Rams stretch; New York faces Tennessee and Denver in back-to-back games starting in Week 12, but otherwise, it's just AFC East rivals, the 49ers and the Seahawks. Certainly, guys like Alan Faneca, Kris Jenkins and Favre have all had a say in the turnaround, but if New York returns to the postseason, the scheduling gods should also get some of the credit.
