AFC EAST 2021 PREDICTIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

We finally had a changing of the guard in the AFC East last season as not only did the Buffalo Bills end the New England Patriots’ stranglehold on the division, but the Pats didn’t even make the playoffs. It was long overdue and, frankly, mitigated somewhat by a Tom Brady quarterbacked team winning the Super Bowl. It was nice, at least to know that Bill Belichick was stewing on his couch, hating it as much as the rest of us.

The Miami Dolphins almost got to the promised land, but fell just a game short. Meanwhile, the New York Jets were in a pitched battle for the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft before blowing even that over the last month of the season.

How will it shake out this season? Frankly, probably a lot like last season.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO BILLS: 13-4

The Bills ended last year as arguably the third best team in the NFL and did nothing to change that this offseason. Josh Allen has his new contract and I’m not crazy about it. He put it all together last year and there’s every reason to think he can keep it there, or even get better. But we’ve had too many QBs look the part in their third season only to fall back to earth in their fourth and fifth recently. Look no further than Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.

So I would have waited on the contract. See if Allen is the same guy this season. This prediction is based on that, 2020 Josh Allen just being the Josh Allen we get for the next decade and a half.

The fact that Allen could Goff/Wentz makes me nervous, as it should anybody.

MIAMI DOLPHINS: 10-7

Last season Miami won 10 games and missed the playoffs. This year that same number could get them in. It’s all about who else sneaks in with the other Wild Card spots and we usually have a three team per conference turnover every year.

That being said, the Dolphins ignored all the nonsense pushing them to dump Tua Tagovaila and built around him, adding more weapons at receiver and running back. There was a reason that Tagovailoa was touted so highly coming out of Alabama and was the second QB taken. There’s no excuse to chuck him after half a season (a weird COVID-19 year at that).

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: 9-8

Bill Belichick can pretend that cutting Cam Newton had nothing to do with his vaccination status, but I don’t buy it. I do think going with Mac Jones probably makes sense in the long run, though it’ll probably cost New England a couple of wins this year and a potential playoff berth.

They’ll be better. They’ll be dangerous. But they’ll still be a team starting a rookie QB.

NEW YORK JETS: 6-11

Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, all these guys played very well in the preseason. Zach Wilson put up some particularly nice highlights with the Jets, Will it translate into real wins? Not this year. I’m probably being a tad over enthusiastic here. They could easily go 4-13, but Robert Saleh will have this defense dialed in, regardless of what happens on the other side of the ball.

On the bright side, NFL RedZone’s Scott Hansen won’t have to apologize when he has to go to the Jets game because every else is at commercial. We’ll actually want to watch them.

The NFL season begins on Thursday, Sep. 9 and the Week 1 Schedule is up and taking bets at BetOnline.AG.

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