After losing to Miami on Sunday, New England is alone in last place in the AFC East.The New England Patriots were ranked as the No. 3 team in the Week 1 ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings behind the Seahawks and Broncos. Meanwhile, the Patriots’ AFC East rivals were all ranked in the 20s.

With Week 1 in the books, the Bills, Dolphins and Jets are all 1-0 and the Patriots sit at 0-1. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Patriots are in sole possession of last place for the first time since Tom Brady became quarterback.

Is this just a Week 1 mirage, or is there reason to believe the AFC East is more wide open than originally seemed?

Patriots

Week 1 Rank: 3

Week 2 Rank: 7

The Patriots lost their opening game for the first time since 2003, and could potentially fall to 0-2 (they play at Minnesota) for the first time since 2001. Week 2 of that season would be when Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe as the Patriots quarterback.

Brady has been one of the best quarterbacks ever since, but time may be catching up to him.

In Week 1, Brady attempted 18 passes thrown at least 15 yards downfield and completed only two. The 16 incompletions on those attempts were the most in game by a passer since 2006.

Tom Brady Targeting Rob Gronkowski
Career

Although Rob Gronkowski caught a touchdown in the game, his impact was limited.

Brady completed only four of 12 attempts to Gronkowski, the duos lowest completion percentage in a game with more than five targets.

Jets

Week 1 Rank: 21

Week 2 Rank: 22

It might have been against the Raiders, but Geno Smith did complete a career-high 82.1 percent of his attempts in Week 1. Smith was able to do so by keeping it short, with his average pass traveling 4.5 yards downfield, second lowest of the week.

The Jets ranked 30th with a 33.2 Total QBR last season and still finished the season 8-8. Smith playing smarter will help the Jets hang onto the ball, and will give their group of capable running backs – led by former 2,000-yard rusher Chris Johnson – a chance to shine. The Jets gained more rushing yards in Week 1 (212) than they did in a game all of last season.

Dolphins

Week 1 Rank: 22

Week 2 Rank: 15

The Dolphins were able to take down the Patriots in Week 1 with a strong rushing attack. Miami’s 191 rushing yards in the opener was more than it had in any of its games last season.

Maybe more importantly for the Dolphins’ success, Ryan Tannehill was sacked only once in Week 1. Last season, Tannehill played in 16 games and was sacked multiple times in 14 of them.

Bills

Week 1 Rank: 29

Week 2 Rank: 23

The Bills could be the biggest Wild Card of the AFC East. The Bills had one of the most disruptive defenses in the NFL last season, especially on passing plays, trailing only the Seahawks in opponent Total QBR.

Bills Pass Defense Ranks
Since Start of 2013

The Bills’ big weakness last season was their offense as rookie EJ Manuel struggled to stay healthy.

In Week 1 Manuel completed a career-high 72.7 percent of his passes, including 5 of 7 of his attempts thrown at least 15 yards downfield. Last season Manuel ranked 33rd completing those passes (38.1 percent).