Final NFL 2024 Week 6 Observations...With Dolphins Angles

What to know about upcoming Miami Dolphins opponents and former players based on their most recent performances.

Aaron Rodgers of the Jets and Josh Allen of Buffalo at the end of the game. The Buffalo Bills came to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Jets. The Jets played their first game under new interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So, yeah, the road to the AFC East title again will be going through Buffalo., and that's even after the New York Jets decided to go ahead and make the big move.

It wasn't like the Bills blew out the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Monday night to maintain sole possession of first place in the division, but Josh Allen showed once again he's the best player in the division and the kind of difference-maker who will make the big plays when needed.

Aaron Rodgers passed for almost 300 yards in the game and made some crazy throws, his completion down the middle to Allen Lazard right next to the leg of linebacker Terrel Bernard was amazing, but Rodgers was intercepted downfield on the Jets' last possession.

After the game, Rodgers made it clear that new wide receiver Mike Williams ran the wrong route, and maybe coincidentally (or not) the Jets consummated the long-rumored trade Tuesday morning to acquire star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Adams will give the Jets a tremendous one-two punch at wide receiver with Garrett Wilson, one that actually could rival Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in Miami, Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins in Houston, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith in Philadelphia, etc.

Not to be outdone, the Bills upgraded their rather nondescript wide receiver group when they acquired veteran Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a third-round pick (along with a swap of late-round choices). This is a great move for Buffalo because Cooper instantly becomes their No. 1 receiver.

And they still have the best quarterback in the division, if not the NFL at the moment (yes, at the moment he might even be better than Patrick Mahomes, who is ranked 19th in the league in passer rating).

On Monday night, Allen turned a sack into a touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid and later sealed the Bills victory with a 6-yard run on a third-and-4 after the interception.

We certainly wouldn't count out the Jets despite them falling to 2-4 — and this was before the trade for Adams. This was a game they easily could have won and maybe would have won if not for kicker Greg Zuerlein missing two field goal attempts — of course it could be argued that the Jets were within striking distance thanks to a first-half Hail Mary touchdown and some beneficial calls by officials who insisted on making themselves a big part of the story.

The Dolphins moved up to second in the AFC with the Jets loss Monday night, only one game behind in the loss column. But Buffalo already has put itself in good tiebreaker position with their road victories against Miami and New York.

The Dolphins will get another shot at the Bills on Sunday, November 3 at Highmark Stadium.

REBUILDING RAIDERS?

The Adams trade means the Dolphins will have to face the Jets with their new-look offense twice in the final five games of the regular season. It also means they will be facing the Las Vegas Raiders without their best offensive player when the teams meet at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 17.

In fact, it's not a stretch to say that Adams was one of their only two worrisome offensive players, along with rookie tight end Brock Bowers.

Without Adams, the Raiders are massively lacking at the skill positions, and that's not even mentioning one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell.

O'Connell, who faced the Dolphins last November, had a 79.9 passer rating in the Raiders' 32-13 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday after replacing Minshew as the starter.

The Raiders, of course, have issues on defense as well with former Dolphins standout Christian Wilkins now on injured reserve and rehabbing a Jones fracture in a foot in the hopes of making a quick recovery that would allow him to be ready for the Miami game Nov. 17.

PATRIOTS PROBLEMS

It was yet another rough outing for the New England Patriots, who the Dolphins will see again Nov. 24 at Hard Rock Stadium, with the run defense again gashed, this time by the Houston Texans.

After the Dolphins rushed for 193 yards against the Patriots in Week 5, Houston almost matched that number with 192 yards in its 41-21 victory. Houston got two long runs in the game, a 59-yard gain by Joe Mixon and a 54-yard touchdown by Dameon Pierce.

At the very least, there was some reason for optimism for New England, and that was the performance of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who had three touchdown passes in his NFL starting debut.

Maye is who the Dolphins will be facing, barring injuries, in the rematch after they went against former Miami backup Jacoby Brissett in the Week 5 matchup.

FORMER DOLPHINS NEWS

-- Running back Chris Brooks got mop-up duty during the Green Bay Packers' 34-13 victory against Arizona and had four rushing attempts for 21 yards. He's third on the Packers depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson.

-- We mentioned the Buffalo Bills wide receiver corps earlier, and this is where we point out that the leader in offensive snaps at that position Monday night was former Dolphins player Mack Hollins. He had only one catch on the night, but it was good for an 8-yard touchdown.

-- Tackle Laremy Tunsil left that Houston-New England game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, but reports suggest it was more of a precautionary measure. He likely will be in the starting lineup for the Week 7 showdown between future Dolphins opponents, Houston and Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS ON SI POWER RANKINGS

How we ranked the 32 NFL teams (because everybody is doing it) based on record, quality of wins, and talent.

1. Minnesota Vikings (5-0)



2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)



3. Detroit Lions (4-1)



4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)



5. Houston Texans (5-1)



6. Green Bay Packers (4-2)



7. Buffalo Bills (4-2)



8. Washington Commanders (4-2)



9. San Francisco 49ers (3-3)



10. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)



11. Atlanta Falcons (4-2)



12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2)



13. Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)



14. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)



15. Chicago Bears (4-2)



16. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)



17. Denver Broncos (3-3)



18. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)



19. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)



20. New York Jets (2-4)



21. Indianapolis Colts (3-3)



22. Arizona Cardinals (2-4)



23. New Orleans Saints (2-4)



24. Miami Dolphins (2-3)



25. New York Giants (2-4)



26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4)



27. Los Angeles Rams (1-4)



28. Cleveland Browns (1-5)



29. Tennessee Titans (1-4)



30. New England Patriots (1-5)



31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)



32. Carolina Panthers (1-5)