No One Circles the AFC East Like the Buffalo Bills

For nearly two decades, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots basically held the AFC East (as well as the entire American Football Conference as a whole) hostage. Even during the final years when the luster was starting to fade just a bit, the Brady/Belichick Patriots winning the AFC East was as certain as death and taxes. But with Brady now in the NFC, the conference is open. The other 15 teams in the entire conference have life now, and that includes some teams in the conference's Eastern Division. However, one team has to take the helm as the division's top dog, and that team is the Buffalo Bills.

Once the talents of QB Josh Allen became known, it was a matter of time before the Bills took the AFC East. Buffalo's rise actually began on New Year's Eve 2017. On that day, the final day of the regular season, the Bills defeated the Dolphins, and kept watch as the Baltimore Ravens faced the Cincinnati Bengals. Andy Dalton's game winning drive ended up eliminating the Ravens from playoff contention, and put the Bills in the playoffs for the first time in this century--an 18-year itch gone. They returned to the playoffs in 2019, but once Brady was gone from the AFC, 2020 became the Bills' chance. The Bills added Stefon Diggs as part of their receiving core, and that, Allen's talents, and their amazing defense ended up leading the way for Buffalo to take the AFC East.

The Bills are definitely the division's top team entering the 2021 season, but they are not the division's only good team. The Miami Dolphins' 2020 campaign saw them prove themselves as another playoff contender in the entire conference. The final weeks saw the Dolphins as part of the AFC playoff logjam that included four other teams--all with double digit wins, but it ended with the Fins coming up just short despite finishing at 10-6. In 2020, they had not only veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, but then-rookie sensation Tua Tagovailoa as well. However, with Fitz now in Washington, Tua is captaining the ship--his first full season as starting QB. It's a lot of pressure, a big test for the Alabama alum. Time will tell if Tua passes or doesn't live up to the hype.

The aforementioned Patriots now have Cam Newton as their quarterback; first off, I'm surprised that Newton is not in a Panthers uniform anymore. Secondly, I'm surprised that he went to New England, but there it is. The Patriots missed the playoffs for the first time in forever in the 202o season, going 7-9 in their first year in the post-Brady era. There also seems to be a QB competition in Foxboro, and they traded Sony Michel to the Rams. Very interesting developments entering the 2021 season. Even though it's Year 2, it's still a new feeling: the Patriots not being perennial worldbeaters.

For the New York Jets, it's the same story: they have nowhere else to go but up. It was an absolute nightmare for the Jets, an 0-13 start caused by Adam Gase's questionable and, yes, inane coaching. The centerpiece of Gase's toxic aura was how he mishandled Le'Veon Bell, who demanded a trade because of it. They even messed that up; the Jets flat out cut Bell, who ended up going to the Kansas City Chiefs afterwards. Even worse than the 0-13 start was the fact that they won back-to-back games after that. Why? Because those two wins ended up costing them Trevor Lawrence. Gase ended up canned after two seasons and a 9-23 record, and they brought in Robert Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers, so that's a good sign. Jets definitely won't be a playoff team, but again, they have nowhere else to go but up.

So regarding the AFC East overall, it definitely looks like it'll be Buffalo's to play with and dominate in 2021 and beyond. Regarding 2021, the Dolphins appear to be the only true threat to the Bills' AFC East throne, so those two matchups will be the ones to watch. The Bills and Dolphins' head-to-head games take place early: September 19 (in Miami) and October 31 (in Buffalo). A split means a lot of scoreboard watching from these two clubs, especially since this should be a close race between Buffalo and Miami.

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