AFC EAST DIVISION ODDS BREAKDOWN AND PICKS
The AFC East was purely dominated by Tom Brady and the Patriots for nearly 20 years. Now that he is in Tampa Bay, the door is wide open…for the Buffalo Bills to start their reign of dominance.
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AFC East Division Odds for 2021 Winner (via Draftkings)
- Buffalo Bills: -150
- Miami Dolphins: +325
- New England Patriots: +350
- New York Jets: +2000
Recap of the 2020 NFL Season
It was an..interesting season nonetheless, especially for the AFC East. The Bills were clear frontrunners to win the division at the start of the season, and they proved so by getting off to a quick 4-0 start, before losing to the Titans and Chiefs in back to back weeks. To complete their season they won 9 out of their last 10 remaining games, sweeping the division for the first time ever.
They have the most complete QB in the division and a very young and ferocious defense to back him up. The thing that really helped them win the division was the acquisition of All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs from the Vikings. He had an absolute stellar breakout season with the Bills and helped Josh Allen with his MVP campaign.
The Dolphins were in a weird phase of competing for a playoff spot, but also not at the same time. The Tua project last season was very spotty at times and failed almost immediately after he made his first start against the Rams. As we have seen in the NFL, a carousel of starting QBs will not benefit anyone and in fact will most likely hurt the teams overall confidence.
The Patriots were set up for failure even before the season started. With many of their star defenders opting out for COVID-19, they were destined to replicate that success they had in 2019. Don’t even get me started on the fact that they let the greatest QB of all-time just walk out the door like that for a washed Cam Newton…
The Jets…were just god awful. I mean, there was nothing good that came out of this season for them. They were set up for failure right after they traded, the only bright spot on that team, Jamal Adams. Adam Gase solidified himself as the worst head coach in NFL history and sent Jets fans into a world of pain.
2021 AFC East Odds Breakdown and Picks
All four of the AFC East teams have had great offseasons thus far and reloaded in the recent NFL Draft.
The Bills are expected to win this lackluster division again and win the super bowl. They fell short last season in the AFC Championship, and their road back there is very tough with the likes of the Chiefs, Ravens, and Browns all on their schedule. Josh Allen is going to be the focal point here for the Bills as they hope to see him improve on his MVP caliber season just a year ago.
The Dolphins had themselves a great draft and free agency thus far. They picked up the speedy WRs Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller, but will they be enough to help Tua Tagovailoa? His success and consistency this season is integral to the Dolphins’ future. If he is to play like he was expected to play when he was drafted in the first round in 2020 then the Dolphins could very well be contenders for the division.
The Patriots are in a similar spot as the Dolphins, they understood the task this offseason and made sure that they got all the tools necessary to succeed. They spent the most money and got offensive targets that will help Cam Newton or Mac Jones if they decide to go to him at any point. Do not count Bill Belichick and the Patriots out just yet…
As a Jets fan myself, we really do not stand a chance to compete in the division, everyone has reloaded just as much as we have. If Zach Wilson does not pan out this season, he is going to be on very thin ice. The Sam Darnold project already failed and now that they have built a solid offense around Wilson, they hope to get him in a position to succeed and lead this team in the future.
The safe and most probable bet is the Buffalo Bills. They have the most complete team, and even added on to what they had last season. Adding Greg Rousseau to help the defensive line will benefit this team in even more ways.
Akshay is a rising senior at the University of Miami. He is studying Marketing with a minor in Sports Administration. He is joining Knup Solutions with hopes of being able to contribute to the team at a high level, with his high attention to detail and perfectionist personality. Has done recreational freelance work for online gaming and sports previously, and is excited to use his skills in the real world
