Yeah, yeah. Another Boston-centric article. Well, kinda. I really just want to talk about the best division in football: the AFC East.
I’m currently watching the halftime show of the Hall of Fame Game between the Jets and the Browns, and watching the Jets, although they’re obviously not using their top talent, got me thinking about the AFC East.
Some people might say the NFC East is the best division, but I disagree. Although the Eagles are very good, and three teams from that division made the playoffs this past season, I think that division may regress. The Eagles are in good shape, but the Giants may have overperformed their talent last season and didn’t drastically improve this offseason (although I like the Waller acquisition for them), and I think the Cowboys may be in trouble if Dak performs poorly like he did in 2022. The Washington Whatevers are about as mediocre looking as possible, despite new ownership. It will still likely be a competitive division, but the crown for the true ultimate division this season will go to the AFC East.
BUFFALO BILLS
We’ll start at the top; the Buffalo Bills are a top-level team, and unless Josh Allen gets absolutely brutalized by the “Madden Curse”, they will continue to have Super Bowl aspirations in 2023. They should be the favorite to win the division for the fourth consecutive season. There’s not much more to cover on that front.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Miami Dolphins have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, featuring burners Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill at wide receiver. Speed kills. They also added Jalen Ramsey at cornerback, who (once healthy) should pair with Xavien Howard to form a top CB group. There’s a lot of weight on Tua Tagovailoa’s shoulders to stay healthy and run a dangerous Dolphins offense into championship competition. The expectations are high in Miami.
NEW YORK JETS
Speaking of expectations, the New York Jets have easily had the biggest swing of expectations this offseason, founded in the arrival of four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers. Let’s face it…for the last couple decades, with little exception, the Jets have been total ass. I’ll repeat that just for fun. The New York Jets, for a very long time, have been frequently ass at football. The Jets have not made the playoffs since their AFC Championship appearance in 2010, which is the longest playoff drought in the NFL. But despite their propensity to perform like shit on the gridiron, there is hope in New York, and for good reason. Beyond Rodgers, the Jets have a surplus of young talent. They have last season’s offensive and defensive rookies of the year in Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, respectively, along with other younger stars in the making, including RB Breece Hall and recently signed (monster contact) Quinnen Williams. There’s a lot of reason to be excited about the Jets this year. If they can put it together and perform up to their talent, they’ll be a real threat.
So there’s three teams that anyone could easily see making a playoff push, and deservedly so. However, there’s one more team in the AFC East, and I don’t expect them to go quietly into the night.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The New England Patriots under coach Bill Belichick dominated in the NFL for two decades. The Patriots may look very different now than they did at their peak, with the most glaring difference being that monumentally historic QB presence in Tom Brady, but the Sith lord is still in the background and now has something to prove by showing he can win without Brady.
The aforementioned three teams in the AFC East are solid, and this has allowed the Patriots to be overshadowed, but I don’t believe they should be. They’re a good team. Since Brady’s departure, people point to the Patriots’ lack of success, exacerbated by the fact that Brady won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers immediately after his departure, and that the Patriots have a cumulative losing record since then. There needs to be context, though.
In 2020, the Patriots went 7-9. After Brady left, they were cap-strapped, had a weak roster, and were led by Cam Newton, who was at the tail end of his career (I love Cam Newton’s game by the way, and I’m glad I got to watch him play in a Patriots uniform). That roster could have reasonably gone 4-12 and no one would have batted an eye, had it not been the Patriots.
In 2021, the Patriots made a couple splashes in free agency (featuring Matthew Judon and Hunter Henry), and made the playoffs with rookie QB Mac Jones. Making the playoffs with a reformed roster and a rookie QB is impressive in just about any context.
2022 was a bit disappointing, but some coaching blunders (cough cough Matt Patricia cough) and a young roster may explain the regression. Despite this, the Patriots still went 8-9 and narrowly missed the playoffs in a competitive AFC, and I think they got better this past offseason. The additions of Mike Gesicki and Juju Smith-Schuster (despite the loss of Jakobi Meyers) improve the talent, and adding Bill O’Brien at offensive coordinator, who specialized in the 2 TE offense with the Patriots around 2011 with Rob Gronkowski and [REDACTED] starring at tight end will surely make the offense more threatening. Combine that with an already stout defense and you have a competitive team. Most people predict the Pats to finish last in the AFC East, but I would be hesitant to dig their grave. This team should be dangerous.
That’s why the AFC East is the best division in football. There are four good teams in this division; and like the AL East in the MLB, there are no slouches. Don’t be surprised if any one of these teams makes a run.
I hope everyone enjoyed the Hall of Fame Game. Football is back.