Week 7 is in the books and this past weekend was another wild one for the AFC East. Starting with Thursday night’s game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets being a lot tighter than originally expected and won in epic fashion on a game-ending blocked field goal. Sunday featured a resounding bounce back road victory for the Miami Dolphins in Soldier Field while the Buffalo Bills found a way to win their second game in the waning seconds during the Kyle Orton era.

Headed into Week 8 of the season, there have been some pretty clear developments as to where each team in the division is headed for the rest of the season. As it stands today, three or the four teams in the division are locked in a heated battle for the division lead with a playoff spot on the line as a wild card is no guarantee for the runner up. With a little over a half a season to go till the playoffs, here’s a look at some things to know about the teams in the AFC East.

1. The two-tight end offense is back in New England.

After a rocky start to the season and loud rumblings of regression, the Patriots have pulled things together pretty well, stringing together three consecutive wins. Their offensive passing game has made strides the last few weeks behind the re-emergence of Rob Gronkowski and the integration of trade acquisition, Tim Wright. The return to the two tight end formation allows Tom Brady to utilize their hurry up offense, as the Pats can line up in multiple formations out of that personnel grouping to best take advantage of mismatches.

2. Will injuries catch up to the Patriots?

Even with their current offensive resurgence and winning record, the Pats have serious questions marks on their team as a whole. Offensively, the loss of Stevan Ridley will effect their running game even more as it already has been a struggling phase of their offensive attack due to sub par line play. Their defense also suffered a major blow with the loss of their captain Jerod Mayo and while New England sits atop their division, their defense has been mostly underwhelming, don’t let the top ranking in the NFL for yards allowed fool you. Filling the void left by Mayo’s injury will be no easy task, although getting Dont’a Hightower back helps. Despite their 5-2 record and +9 turnover ratio, opponents have gained more first downs, more rushing yards and average more time of possession than the Pats, so even while New England has found ways to win games, opposing teams are definitely capable of beating the Patriots. While they may still reign within the division, this doesn’t look to be the caliber of team that was once one of the elite in the league.

3. Can the Miami Dolphins find consistency under Joe Philbin?

An average team with superior talent, the Miami Dolphins can beat any team in the league on any given sunday including themselves. Plagued by inconsistency at the quarterback position and within the coaching staff, when these two weaknesses get on the same page and execute, the Dolphins are one of the the tougher teams to beat. Built from the inside out, Miami has really benefitted from excellent play in the trenches. With the Dolphins controlling the trenches with the amount of success they have had this year, if Miami can finish the year continuing to build their turnover ratio on a positive note and receive consistency from their trigger man and coaching staff… Then the Dolphins could very well be looking at an opportunity to win the division crown when they visit the Patriots in Foxboro near the end of the regular season. First things first though, they need to win two games in a row, something they have yet to do this season.

4. Miami is looking good in the trenches.

The defensive line has been a strength of this team for quite some time and this may be the best group they’ve had in the past decade. Stuffing the run and rushing passer, the contributions are coming from more than just their starters as the Fins defense has turned up the heat on opposing quarterbacks while stuffing the run more effectively than last year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Dolphins offensive line has been the area of biggest improvement. A year ago this unit couldn’t keep their QB erect like a senior citizen without his Viagra. After relinquishing 58 sacks to the opposition last year, the offensive line has only allowed 14 sacks up to this point in the season. Playing the first part of the year without their best lineman in Mike Pouncey, who recently returned from injury, the improvements don’t just stop with pass protection. A run offense that could only muster 90 yards per game on the ground last season is now averaging over 45 yards more at 136.3 yards per game.

5. How much will Percy Harvin help the Jets?

While they have been competitive in most of their games, the Jets need to do more in with their off-season moves to surround Geno Smith with talent. That led them to make a mid season trade for troubled wide receiver and dynamic playmaker Percy Harvin. While the Harvin trade will help their offense, their offense has actually been playing better than last year, even though that is not saying much. Their run game has been strong, Geno Smith is committing way less turnovers than his rookie year, and now with the addition of Harvin, Smith will finally have two starting caliber wide receivers to throw the rock to.

6. Running back injuries will hamper the Bills.

The running game and kickoff return unit lose their home run threat with the injury to C.J. Spiller and the Bills will have to lean on a power running game behind Fred Jackson and Boobie Dixon to keep the ground game the focal point of their attack. Depending on Kyle Orton to be your offense week in and week out will lead to disaster. Orton may have Bills fans excited with his recent late game heroics but don’t forget what he is, a game manager, who in all actuality could use more production from a ground game that has not produced a 100-yard rusher yet this season. The Bills are currently second in the division but how they handle the next four games will make or break them. They have a pair of games against the Jets with the Chiefs and Dolphins sandwiched in between.