After a thrilling season, the NFL is officially over for another year. So, the team at SportsTips thought it would be a good idea to go through every team in the AFC East, and have a look at the year that was!
Buffalo Bills
The 2022 Buffalo Bills opened the season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders and sported a 6-1 record after seven games. Head coach Sean McDermott’s squad closed the regular season with a seven-game winning streak and finished with a 13-3 mark to capture their third straight AFC East crown. The Bills topped the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs before falling 27-10 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round.
The Bills are about $18.4 million over the cap for the 2023 season. They will have to make tough decisions regarding key free agents, including linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jordan Poyer. However, Buffalo is expected to re-sign both core members of one of the league’s top defensive units. Other top free agents include running back Devin Singletary and defensive linemen Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson.
We’ve signed S @ZayneAnderson23 to a two-year deal.#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/cOHxnSCspW
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) February 17, 2023
Two-time Pro Bowl signal-caller Josh Allen threw for 4,283 yards and tied for second with 35 touchdown passes. The 6-foot-5 quarterback also tallied 762 yards on the ground and led the team with seven rushing scores. Singletary was the leading rusher with 819 yards and five touchdowns, while Stefon Diggs enjoyed another productive campaign with 1,429 receiving yards on 108 receptions and 11 scores.
Edmunds was the leading tackler for the NFL’s fifth-ranked run defense. The former first-round pick notched 100-plus tackles for the fifth straight year. Poyer intercepted a team-high four passes and has 24 career picks over 11 seasons, while Von Miller and Greg Rousseau tallied eight sacks apiece.
Miami Dolphins
The 2022 season got off to a promising start for the Miami Dolphins, who boasted an 8-3 record heading into Week 12. However, rookie head coach Mike McDaniel’s troops suffered a late-season collapse with five consecutive losses but regrouped to defeat the New York Jets in the season finale. The Dolphins finished second in the division with a 9-8 mark and booked a ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Miami suffered a hard-fought 34-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed four games due to a trio of concussions, including Miami’s playoff matchup. The former first-round pick has sat out eight games over the last two seasons but tossed a career-high 25 touchdowns in 2022 while leading the NFL in passer rating and passing average.
UNO. 🤙 pic.twitter.com/fBJEIysxHK
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) February 17, 2023
Raheem Mostert was the top rusher and set a personal best with 891 yards and three scores on 181 carries. The Purdue product also caught 31 balls for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both posted eye-catching numbers. Hill tallied 119 catches for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns, while Waddle compiled 1,356 receiving yards and eight scores on 75 receptions.
Linebackers Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker anchored a defensive unit that ranked fourth against the run. Roberts collected a team-high 104 tackles and 4.5 sacks, while Baker had 100 tackles and four sacks. Jaelan Phillips paced the team with seven sacks, and Melvin Ingram added six quarterback takedowns. Safety Jevon Holland led the Dolphins with two interceptions.
New England Patriots
The 2022 edition of the New England Patriots struggled to find consistency on offense but was sitting at 6–4 after 10 weeks of action. But the Patriots dropped five of their final seven games to end the season in third place with an 8-9 record and miss the playoffs for the second time in three years.
New England hired former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien as its new offensive coordinator after a disastrous season with Matt Patricia running the offense. O’Brien began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots in 2007 and spent the past two seasons as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama.
Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick on the return of Matthew Slater. pic.twitter.com/lb9aOpNrkP
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 17, 2023
Youthful quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe both saw action this past season. Jones led the team with 14 touchdown passes, and Zappe added five scoring passes in four games. Former fourth-round pick Rhamondre Stevenson established himself as the top back with 1,040 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Damien Harris missed six games but still managed to tally 462 yards and three scores. Jakobi Meyers was the leading pass catcher with 67 receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns.
Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley enjoyed a stellar campaign with a team-best 122 tackles, three sacks, and one interception. Edge rusher Matthew Judon led the team with 15.5 sacks, and Josh Uche enjoyed a breakout season with 11.5 quarterback takedowns. Defensive backs Devin McCourty and Jonathan Jones both picked off four passes for a squad that ranked third with 19 interceptions.
New York Jets
A young New York Jets squad stood tall at 7-4 heading into Week 12 and seemed prime for their first playoff berth since 2010. But the Jets suffered a late-season collapse and dropped their final six games to finish in the cellar of the AFC East with a 7-10 record.
New York struggled mightily at the quarterback position, with Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco getting a chance to direct the offensive unit. The Jets fired offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur and replaced him with former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. New York is interested in adding Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr to lead their offense in 2023.
Trimming this one down to a minute was tough.
The best video shots from the 2022 season 🎥🔥 pic.twitter.com/b274ghJTRf
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 15, 2023
The Jets’ offense finished 29th in scoring with a pitiful 17.4 points per game. New York’s quarterbacks threw just 14 touchdown passes while tossing an equal number of interceptions. Breece Hall was the top rusher with 463 yards despite tearing his ACL and meniscus in Week 7. NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson tallied 1,103 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 83 receptions.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley ranked ninth in the league with 157 tackles for a defensive unit that finished in the top-5 in points allowed, passing yards, and total yards. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams enjoyed a breakout campaign with a team-high 12.5 sacks, and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Garner had 20 passes defended, 75 tackles, and two interceptions.
Even though the season has finished, we’ve got you covered with all the latest information on the NFL! We keep you as up to date as possible, so you don’t miss any of the action this off-season.
