16-0?: Patriots Face Easy Road in the AFC L-East

It was another dismal weekend for most of the AFC East.

Miami showed a few flashes against the improved Browns, and the Jets in their throwback unis made a play or two against the visiting Eagles... but in the end both lost rather handily.

The Buffalo Bills used their bye weak to rest their weary bodies, glad to not add to the AFC East debacle that was Week Six.

At least least the Patriots managed to pull away from the Cowboys in the fourth quarter en route to a 48-27 victory.

The Patriots lead the East at 6-0. The Bills are in second place at 1-4. The Jets follow at 1-5, and the Dolphins are 0-6.
 
Excluding the Patriots, that's a combined division record of 2-15.
 
Ouch.

Every other NFL division has at least two teams vying for the top spot, with the largest margin between contenders standing at two games.
 
The Patriots hold a a 4.5-game lead in the East—after only six weeks!

There's no disputing that the Pats are the class of the league. They made it look easy against the unbeaten Cowboys. They've scored 230 points while allowing only 92. Tom Brady has thrown 21 touchdown passes—six more than the combined total of the other six AFC East QBs.

Provided New England can stay healthy, the team will be nearly impossible to beat.

As it stands, the Game of the Year looks to be the Nov. 4th matchup in Indianapolis between the Pats and the Colts. Major bragging rights will be at stake—as will, perhaps, the Pats' perfect season.

That's right—it's only been six weeks, and I've already brought up the undefeated angle.

The Colts could also be unbeaten heading in, if they can win at Jacksonville and Carolina in the two preceding weeks. The Patriots, on the other hand, have an easier road: an away game against the winless Dolphins and a home matchup with the 3-2 Redskins.

If New England can beat Indy, their remaining schedule seems almost too easy. They travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills, then face Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, the Jets, Miami, and finally the Giants.
 
Only the Ravens and Giants games are on the road. Assuming home field advantage means something, New England looks to have a very real shot at a perfect season—with possibly six of their wins coming against AFC East teams.

Which begs the question:
 
Is the AFC East really that bad, or are the Patriots simply that good...making the rest of the division seem vastly inferior by comparison.
 
Maybe it's a little of both, but my money's on the Patriots being that good.

Given the state of the AFC East, the 2007 NFL season could see two very rare occurrences within the same division: New England may well go undefeated, and Miami may well go winless.
 
It's too early to say for sure, but it's quite clear to this writer that while the Patriots may face a challenge or two before the end of the year, it probably won't come from a divisional foe.

If the Patriots do complete a perfect season, they can thank their opponents in the AFC L-East.