Is the AFC East up for Grabs?
The AFC East has been dominated by the Patriots from the 2001 to the 2019 season. After Tom Brady parted ways with New England, the AFC East has been taken over by the Buffalo Bills in the last four seasons who seem to be aiming for a fifth year in a row. At the beginning of the season, it seemed that the division was going to be one of the toughest between each other. While the Patriots were not the favorites, it seemed they would put up a fight at least due to the new coaching staff. The New York Jets have Aaron Rodgers back and they also have a very legit defense. The Miami Dolphins still have their terrifying squad with Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. Though, it seems like the winner of the AFC East is going to be somewhat of a struggle.
No team from the AFC East won any of their games in Week Four. Miami for instance is definitely going to struggle without Tagovailoa in the quarterback position until Week Eight at the earliest with a record of 1-3. The Patriots continue to struggle with their offensive line, a quarterback problem, and a lack of stars in the receiver positions. It seemed there was hope after the first two games, beating the Bengals and looking good in defeat against the Seahawks. Though after that it all went downhill for them. Center David Andrews is now set to have shoulder surgery, putting him out for the rest of the season. The offensive line lost arguably their star player, which is going to make the team struggle a bit more.
The Jets were seen as a potential threat in the AFC East, but it seems there is something missing. They have a good defense and a pretty good run game, as well as, having Aaron Rodgers finally return full-time after sustaining an Achilles injury in the first game of the 2023 season. The Bills traded their star receiver, Stefon Diggs, in the spring of 2024 and also cut cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer to free up cap space. While the Bills currently sit at 3-1 and are the favorites to win the division, they are not making the impact they were projected to have. It almost seems like their journey as the top team in the AFC East is not going to be as simple as it once was.
