With the Jets’ 24-14 loss to the 49ers coupled with the Dolphins’ 16-3 win over the Bills and the Patriots’ narrow 24-21 victory over the Seahawks, the AFC East is now up for grabs with all three teams sitting at 8-5.

If the season ended today, the Jets would still claim first place because they have the best division record at 3-1. But they currently have the same conference record as the Dolphins do at 6-4 and the Jets still have to play Miami and Buffalo, although both games are at home.

Even though they’re still technically in the best shape, the Jets have just suffered two ugly defeats. Miami has won six of their last seven games and arguably has the easiest remaining schedule as they host the 49ers next week before finishing at the Chiefs and Jets to end the season. New England’s remaining schedule isn’t too daunting either, as the Pats travel to Oakland next week, host the Cardinals in Week 16 and end the season at Buffalo.

It’s amazing to think that this division is so wide open given that just three weeks ago many were talking about the Jets being a possible Super Bowl contender after they beat the Titans. Granted, all of that talk was incredibly premature, but it’s crazy to think that a Tom Brady-less Patriots and a Dolphins team coming off a 1-15 season have just as much of a chance to win the division as a Jets team that looked like world beaters just two weeks ago.

Comment fodder: Who wins the division? None of the three teams have a very difficult schedule, so it might come down to home field advantage. The Jets have two more home games left, while the Pats and Dolphins each have one apiece. I still think New York wins the AFC East, but it’s going to be interesting over the next three weeks.

Three weeks ago the New York Jets were the talk of the NFL after they beat the previously unbeaten Tennessee Titans. But they were crushed at home by the Denver Broncos last week and on Sunday were rather surprisingly beaten by the San Francisco 49ers 24-14.

What the hell happened?

The 49ers have been a much more competitive team since Mike Singletary took over as head coach, but how do the Jets total just 182 yards of offense against San Fran’s defense? Brett Favre threw for just 137 yards and as a team, the Jets rushed for only 59 yards.

It’s hard to travel cross-country and win. But that said, if the Jets want to win a division, they have to be able to beat a poor 49er team starting Shaun Hill at quarterback. It’s not like the Jets turned the ball over multiple times (Favre threw one interception) and beat themselves (although eight penalties certainly doesn’t help) – the 49ers just flat out took it to them. San Fran had a 39:49 to 20:11 time of possession edge and totaled 375 yards of offense.

With this loss, the Jets have now opened the door for the Patriots and Dolphins in the division. All three teams are now locked in a three-way tie at 8-5.