AFC Notes: Bradley Chubb, Trevor Lawrence, Bailey Zappe, Dolphins, Jaguars, Patriots

Dolphins

Sunday’s game between the Cowboys and Dolphins was derogatorily referred to as the “Cupcake Bowl” by some, as both teams have hit double-digit wins this year but struggled to beat teams with winning records. Miami’s 22-20 win officially helps get that monkey off their back. 

“It’s cool, man, it’s cool, but we’re not done,” Dolphins OLB Bradley Chubb said via Pro Football Talk. “We’re not even close to being where we want to be. There’s a lot of plays we left out there and championship teams don’t leave those plays out there and it’s just finally good to get over that hump of the narrative and changing the narrative to be what we want it to be and how we want to approach everything and it’s just been dope to see this team come together, not worry about the outsiders, the naysayers and just do what we do and prepare like we’re a championship team each and every week. I got emotional with the ‘who can’t’ because at the end of the day we put our heart and put our soul into this and for somebody to tell us we can’t do it, we’re going to want to go out there and prove them wrong every time.”

Jaguars

It seems like just a few weeks ago the Jaguars were a legitimate candidate to seize the top seed in the AFC. But the team has lost four straight and the past two games against the Ravens and Buccaneers haven’t even been close. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence aired some frustrations after the game, one he had to exit early after injuring his shoulder. 

“It just looks like we don’t even practice,” Lawrence said via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. “We look lost. No sense of urgency. The list goes on and on. I feel like we have good weeks of preparation and I feel like we’re prepared going into games and then something happens on game day the last month where it just all falls apart.

“This is our season. We’ve worked hard to be in this position and we’re close to pissing it away so we’ve got to figure it out.”

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson agreed with his quarterback that the season is approaching a crisis point. 

“I would say, yeah. Our goals are still in front of us. Nothing’s changed there but somewhere we’ve got to stop this dam from busting wide open.”

• Jaguars LB Foyesade Oluokun has recorded 150 tackles this season and became the fourth player in NFL history to have three consecutive seasons with 150 tackles.

Patriots

Patriots HC Bill Belichick praised his team for battling back from an early deficit and holding off a Denver comeback after New England took a 23-7 lead. Led by QB Bailey Zappe, the Patriots pulled off a game-winning field goal drive in the final minute to win 26-23. 

“That was a wild game. I’m really proud of our guys, our players, coaches,” Belichick said via Pro Football Talk. “Got off to a rough start, but those guys really battled back, hung in there. . . . Really happy for the hard work that our players and coaches put in, and how resilient they were.”

Patriots fourth-round K Chad Ryland has battled inconsistency this year and missed a field goal and an extra point Sunday night. But he came through when it mattered most on the 56-yard, game-winning try. 

“I think our whole team showed a lot of mental toughness. All week, all year, tonight,” Belichick said.