Everyone knows that the NFL has 8 divisions that are spread across two conferences, and that most of this century the AFC East has been one of the least competitive divisions in all of football. Since the year 2000 the Patriots have won the AFC East division an astounding 12 times out of 15. In this day in age in sports where salary caps can restrain teams from building long lasting dynasties it is truly remarkable that the Patriots have been able to defy logic, and be as good as they have been for as long as they have. The Patriots have made a mockery of the rest of the AFC East over the last 15 years, but this year may finally be different.
The Bills, Dolphins and Jets have all made it a point this off-season to upgrade the talent on their rosters, which is evident from all the new former pro bowl faces in the division, like Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Jordan, Brandon Marshall, LeSean McCoy, Richie Incognito, Percy Harvin, Darrelle Revis (old face, new team), and Antonio Cromartie (old face, new team). Most football gambling fans would agree that this is quite an injection of talent into one division in only one off-season.
In addition the Bills had a winning record last season with 9 wins, and had one of the best defenses in football, and now they added one of the best defensive minds in football in Rex Ryan as their head coach. Buffalo is going to be an extremely tough out for any team this season, and late in the season when the weather starts to get worse, playing in Buffalo is going to be a big task for any team. The Bills have a young and tough roster, and will be a team that is going to be vying for a playoff berth at the end of the season.
The Jets were the worst team in the AFC East last season, but they have made lots of improvements on both sides of the ball, and had an excellent draft where one of the best defensive players in the entire draft landed in their laps at number 6; DE Leonard Williams. They were also able to draft WR Devin Smith who was the best deep threat in the entire draft. With Batman and Robin (Revis and Cromartie) returning to the Jets, their defense is going to be one of the best in the entire league, which means they will have a chance to win any game they play.
The Dolphins were an 8-8 team last year, and they have added a lot of talent on both sides of the ball as well. In addition they have the second best QB in the division and they added a lot of young big play weapons to Tannehill’s arsenal. Last season the Dolphins’ biggest weakness was defending the run, so all they did was sign the best Defense Tackle in all of football in Suh, and then went a step further and brought over one of his side kicks from Detroit in C.J. Mosley. The Dolphins defensive line with players like Wake, Vernon, Suh, Mitchell, Mosley and Phillips are going to be a nightmare for any team and QB this season.
Lastly the Patriots still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and they are the reigning Super Bowl and AFC East champs, so the path to the playoffs still goes through New England. The Patriots did lose some talent on defense, and it would be fair to say they now have on paper the worst defense in the AFC East, which means the Bills, Jets, and Phins can all make up some ground on them. So each team has a legitimate chance of beating the Patriots at least once this season.
Based on cumulative wins last season the AFC North division combined for the most wins of any division in the NFL with 38 wins. In comparison the AFC East was ranked tied for 4th best with a total of 33 wins. (NFC West was second best with 37 wins, NFC North was third with 35 wins, and AFC West was tied for fourth with 33 wins) The AFC East teams on paper each improved more than these other divisions and they should be able to combine for more than 33 wins this season. Making it the most competitive and winning-est divisions in all of football. What does the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans think about the AFC East finally getting back to its roots of being one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL?
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