FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Raise your hand if back in training camp you thought every AFC East team would still have a realistic shot at winning the division at the season's midway point.

Yeah, sure you did.

For those who kept their hands in front of them, you're certainly not alone.

A head-spinning sequence of events has reshaped the AFC East, which was ruled for years by New England — with everyone else quite a few steps behind. Take away Tom Brady from the Patriots, add Brett Favre to the New York Jets and Chad Pennington to Miami, and the division has become a free-for-all.

"There's four teams in this division and they all control their own destiny," Favre said. "It's pretty good."

The Patriots have plenty of company atop the division with the Jets and Bills feeling good about their chances. The Dolphins are one of the NFL's biggest surprises, with Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano quickly turning around a miserable culture of losing.

"It's about as balanced as you can get at this point in the season," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "We all play each other here throughout the next eight games and that's going to decide it, I think."

Both Miami and New York are 2-1 against division opponents with three games left, and New England is 1-1 with four games left, including two against Buffalo. The Bills have some work to do at 0-2.

"It's not an easy path," Mangini said, "for anybody."

New England Patriots (5-3)

Brady's knee injury in the season opener was as catastrophic a loss the Patriots could have imagined. Give them credit for staying competitive with unproven Matt Cassel running the show.

There's no way a team can replace a star like Brady, especially after the record-setting performance he had last year while leading the Patriots through an undefeated regular season. It's like taking Superman away from the Justice League; sure, they can still function and win, but someone's glaringly absent.

Cassel, who hadn't started since high school when he took over in Week 2, has been shaky at best. He's also working with an offense that hasn't had a steady running back all season.

Laurence Maroney was lost early to an injury, and Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan have also taken their turns on the sideline. Throw in BenJarvus Green-Ellis — undoubtedly one of the best names in sports — and Kevin Faulk, and Cassel probably isn't sure who's lining up behind him in the backfield anymore.

Cassel knows who he's throwing to, though, and Randy Moss and Wes Welker are still dangerous.

The defense has proven vulnerable, especially with Rodney Harrison out for at least this season. With games against Pittsburgh, Arizona and the rest of the division in the second half, the season may hinge on whether the Patriots' aging linebacker corps and young secondary can make enough big plays to overcome Cassel's mistakes on offense.

Grade: C-plus.

New York Jets (5-3)

It hasn't been a smooth ride for the Jets, but they appear headed in the right direction — despite lots of criticism:

—Favre is old and his arm isn't what it once was.

—Favre's not picking up the offense fast enough.

—The running game is inconsistent.

—The playcalling is often frustratingly conservative.

Yeah, that all might be true to an extent, but the Jets have already won one more game than they did without Favre last season. And, in the NFL, that qualifies as progress.

New York spent $140 million in the offseason, bringing in lots of big-name talent and then trading for Favre — instantly making them relevant again.

Favre has 12 interceptions but leads the AFC in completion percentage, recently shedding his gunslinger image for more of a game manager role. No matter how far they fall behind, the Jets believe Favre's presence alone gives them a chance to win.

The defense has been the biggest boost, with Kris Jenkins a huge — pun intended — presence. The 360-pound nose tackle has become a disruptive force, chomping down on opponents' running games while freeing others to put pressure on the quarterback.

Throw in the playmaking Calvin Pace, Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes, and the Jets are no longer pushovers.

Grade: B-minus.

Buffalo Bills (5-3)

Who are the real Buffalo Bills?

Are they the guys who jumped out to a 5-1 start and had lots of people calling them the favorites to win the division? Or are they the team that has looked sloppy and mistake-prone in the last few weeks?

Well, the offense has regressed, with Trent Edwards affected by an offensive line that has been hit by injuries and poor play. The Bills have allowed 23 sacks, three fewer than they did last season, and Edwards has thrown three interceptions and lost two fumbles the last two games.

Lee Evans is off to the best start of his career, but has no one to complement him with Josh Reed out with a foot injury. Marshawn Lynch has six touchdowns, but hasn't had a 100-yard rushing game. That's all led to an easy formula for opposing defenses: Put as much pressure on Edwards as you can because the ground game isn't working.

The defense has been decent, but the pass rush has been ineffective, in part because of an injury to Aaron Schobel. Buffalo needs to get more pressure on quarterbacks with just three sacks in the last four games.

Of course, the Bills have lots of time to turn things around, but four games against divisional opponents is a daunting task.

Grade: C-plus.

Miami Dolphins (4-4)

Finally, there's some sanity in South Beach.

After years of running through coaches and quarterbacks, the Dolphins might just have something here.

Heck, they're even talking playoffs.

Parcells came in as Miami's vice president of football operations, and went to work right away. He got rid of Cam Cameron, who went 1-15 in his only season, and popular Dolphins players Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, brought in the unproven and somewhat unknown Sparano and then signed Pennington to be his quarterback.

So far, so good.

Pennington has been everything he was for the Jets when he was healthy: smart and efficient. The receiving corps is the team's thinnest area and Pennington doesn't have any true deep threats, but the Dolphins have made up for that by using the Wildcat offense that has become the latest craze to sweep the league.

The Dolphins may be too inconsistent to truly think about the postseason, but consider this: Other than its three divisional opponents, Miami plays Seattle, Oakland, St. Louis, San Francisco and Kansas City — a combined 9-31 — in the next eight weeks.

As improbable as it seemed in July, it could come down to Pennington vs. Favre on Dec. 28 for the division crown.

Grade: B-minus.