After a two-decade reign from one franchise, the AFC East is now ruled by another team. The Buffalo Bills have stopped the New England Patriots’ supremacy in this division and have now won three consecutive AFC East titles themselves. The oddsmakers have made Buffalo the AFC East favorites again per the NFL futures odds, but both the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets have a decent chance of claiming the division. Meanwhile, New England is clearly seen as the worst team of the bunch with odds of more than 8-1 to finish first.
NFL Betting Odds
2023 AFC East Odds
Buffalo Bills +121
Miami Dolphins +250
New York Jets +265
New England Patriots +807
Buffalo could be even better than it was in 2022. The Bills are bringing back nearly all of their starters from last season, and they should improve in the secondary with a healthy Micah Hyde back on the field. Hyde missed almost all of last year after suffering an injury in Week 2, limiting the potential of this pass defense. Leonard Floyd was signed over the summer to give this pass rush a boost, and the front seven is stacked with talent.
The only real concerns are along the offensive line. However, Josh Allen might not be as great as he has been the last few seasons. Allen has started to have accuracy issues flare up once more, and that’s largely what he struggled with in college too. His dual-threat ability can overcome some of those issues, but a quarterback has to be able to stretch the field.
There are real concerns about Miami and New York and what they plan to do at quarterback this season. Tua Tagovailoa was at the helm of one of the most explosive offenses in the league after the Dolphins traded for Tyreek Hill. However, Tagovailoa also sustained three concussions, and there is no telling how much time he will miss if he takes another shot to the head. There isn’t an experienced backup on deck either as Mike White will be the backup this year and not Teddy Bridgewater.
Defensively, the Dolphins should be a lot better than they were last year with the addition of superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey. He is one of the top five cornerbacks in the league, and his presence will make Xavien Howard even better on the other side after Byron Jones missed all of last season due to injury and was subsequently released.
The New York Jets are expected to have one of the best defenses in the league. Sauce Gardner was one of the best cornerbacks last season and earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, and he figures to be even better in his second season. C.J. Mosley finally showed why the Jets gave him a big contract during the 2020 offseason, and the defensive line was solid in 2022.
Of course, the big question with the Jets is Aaron Rodgers and his ability to lead this offense. It’s been years since the Jets last had a competent quarterback, and Rodgers has the potential to make this an elite unit if he can rekindle some of the form we saw during his heyday in Green Bay. He is coming off his worst season yet, but the soon-to-be 40-year-old QB has quality receivers and a solid, young running back in Breece Hall.
New England is in an unfamiliar position under Bill Belichick. The Patriots haven’t been projected as the cellar dweller in the AFC East in 25 years, but there isn’t as much talent on this team as we find on the other rosters in the division. The offensive line play has regressed, and Mac Jones does not seem to be the answer under center.
The Patriots will keep things competitive with an overachieving defense though. The front four is solid, and Jonathan Jones is a cornerback that can make a difference for this franchise.
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