Last year, the Afc East produced the Super Bowl champion in the New England Patriots. While that comes as no surprise, the big shocker was that the division also produced a Wild Card playoff team in the Miami Dolphins. For the 2017 Nfl Season, the chances are still there to produce two playoff teams but it won’t be easy. With the NFL training camps starting this week, here is a look at the AFC East preview for the 2017 NFL season.
AFC East team breakdown
The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl last season and the amazing thing is that they look even better this season.
The team lost their starting running back in LeGarrette Blount but they still have Tom Brady as their quarterback (even though he is turning 40) and the best wide receiver corps – top to bottom – of any team in the NFL. There is no reason to think they won’t rule the AFC East once again.
The Miami Dolphins surprised fans everywhere when they finished the 2-16 NFL season as a Wild Card team with 10 wins. The team brings back most of their weapons but will have to work hard to match last year’s win record and prove they are not a one-hit wonder in 2017.
The Buffalo Bills weren’t expected to be great last year and they proved everyone right. The Bills wiped out their coaching staff and are starting over in 2017.
The team still has all the same weapons that they struggled with in 2016 but they are hoping the new coaching staff and a change in philosophy with the Ryan brothers gone will help the team start to win again.
Finally, the New York Jets looked on the upswing two years ago when they won 10 games and barely missed the playoffs.
However, last season, they crashed back to Earth and ended up in the last place in the AFC East. This year, things look bleak. The Jets got rid of every player that did well last year and are rebuilding from scratch. It looks like the Jets won’t be competing for anything more than the first overall draft pick next year.
AFC East predictions
The AFC East is still the New England Patriots’ for the taking. There is almost no way any of the three other teams have a chance to take the crown from the Patriots and Vegas odds even has the Patriots favored to win the Super Bowl for the second straight year this season.
The second spot is likely to go to the Miami Dolphins but they have to prove that 2016 was not a fluke. The team is not a world beater but they proved last year they could win when they needed to. The Dolphins will have to hold off the Buffalo Bills, who hope that new head coach Sean McDermott can lift the team onto his shoulders and lead them back to respectability.
Finally, the New York Jets will not just finish in the last place in the AFC East but they might have the worst record in the entire NFL. There isn’t a team with a season as bleak looking as the Jets in 2017.
