A look at where the Buffalo Bills rank in the AFC East in our weekly stat check:

POINTS SCORED

Dolphins: 14th (24.0)

Patriots: 24th (20.0)

Bills: tied-25th (19.8)

Jets: tied-25th (19.8)

Quick-hit thought: The Bills slip down from 19th last week, when they were averaging 20.7 points per game. The 20-point per game mark can be considered a threshold for winning; no team averaging less than 20 points per game has a winning record.

POINTS AGAINST

Bills: 7th (18.8)

Patriots: 14th (22.5)

Jets: tied-17th (24.0)

Dolphins: 20th (24.3)

Quick-hit thought: This is a slight improvement in the standing but a drop in the average. Through last week, the Bills were allowing 17.3 points per game. It's not an indictment of the defense though; J.J. Watt's interception return amounted for nearly a third of the Houston Texans' points Sunday.

THIRD-DOWN OFFENSE

Jets: 14th (26-of-59, 44.1 percent)

Dolphins: 23rd (21-of-55, 38.2 percent)

Patriots: 27th (21-of-58, 36.2 percent)

Bills: 30th (20-of-57, 35.1 percent)

Quick-hit thought: The Bills continue to slip in this stat, down from 36.6 percent (24th) last week. Doug Marrone pinpointed this area as one where the Bills need improvement when he made the switch Monday to Kyle Orton.

THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE

Bills: 5th (20-of-55, 36.4 percent)

Dolphins: 12th (25-of-62, 40.3 percent)

Jets: 14th (23-of-56, 41.1 percent)

Patriots: 20th (23-of-49, 46.9 percent)

Quick-hit thought: This is a slight improvement since last week. The Bills aren't having any trouble getting off the field on third downs.

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL

Bills: tied-2nd (plus-5, 8 takeaways, 3 giveaways)

Patriots: tied-7th (plus-3, 8 takeaways, 5 giveaways)

Dolphins: tied-17th (even, 8 takeaways, 8 giveaways)

Jets: tied-31st (minus-6, 2 takeaways, 8 giveaways)

Quick-hit thought: After the loss to the Texans, cornerback Leodis McKelvin noted how teams don't often lose when they force at least three turnovers, as they did Sunday. By extension, teams don't often lose when they're doing this well in turnover ratio. Yet the Bills aren't alone at the top of this leaderboard; the 2-2 Packers, 2-2 49ers, and 1-2 Browns have also excelled in this area.

RED ZONE OFFENSE (based on TD percentage)

Patriots: tied-18th (6-of-11, 54.5 percent)

Dolphins: tied-20th (9-of-18, 50 percent)

Jets: 30th (5-of-14, 35.7 percent)

Bills: 31st (5-of-15, 33.3 percent)

Quick-hit thought: The Bills sink lower and lower in this category. Their percentage hasn't changed since last week, but now only the Panthers are worse inside the 20-yard line.

RED ZONE DEFENSE (based on TD percentage)

Patriots: 6th (7-of-15, 46.7 percent)

Bills: tied-7th (5-of-10, 50 percent)

Dolphins: tied-20th (7-of-12, 58.3 percent)

Jets: 30th (7-of-10, 70 percent)

Quick-hit thought: This is a significant improvement from last week, when the Bills were tied for 17th by allowing touchdowns on 55.6 of opponents' drives.