NFL training camp is right around the corner, and it’s a great time to start discussing which teams could make the playoffs this season. The Buffalo Bills should be at the top of that list, but the real question is: will they win the AFC East this time?
The Bills won the AFC East from 2020 to 2024 but lost the title last season. The New England Patriots took the division away, leading the Bills to make the playoffs as a wild card.
Bills Predicted to Win AFC East
Many believe the Bills should be able to reclaim the division title this season, including three ESPN reporters who cover teams in the AFC East.
ESPN published an AFC East roundtable on Friday, and one of the questions was who would win the division.
Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg, Miami Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques and New York Jets reporter Rich Cimini all predicted Buffalo to win the division.
“The Bills. The winner projects to be a close fight between Buffalo and New England, just a year after the Patriots ended the Bills’ streak of five straight AFC East titles,” Getzenberg wrote. “The Patriots will be an issue for Buffalo again in 2026 even though New England has a harder schedule than last season. However, despite the uncertainties that exist for the Bills, Allen gives the team a chance every time he steps on the field. There is enormous pressure on the quarterback with a schedule that has many challenges, but the edge here goes to the team led by Allen.”
It would be surprising if either the Bills or the Patriots didn’t win the division. The Jets and Dolphins are expected to be two of the worst teams in the NFL this season. If Miami or New York manages to take the AFC East, it would indicate that something terrible happened to both Buffalo and New England, or that either the Jets or Dolphins came out of nowhere and surprised everyone.
Buffalo Has to Pull Off Two Wins Vs. New England
The Patriots took control of the AFC East last season by playing a last-place schedule after finishing last in 2024. However, this year they will face a first-place schedule. Despite this, ESPN’s Patriots reporter, Mike Reiss, still predicted that New England would win the division.
“Despite a tougher schedule and the likelihood they won’t be able to duplicate their 14-3 record, the Patriots will still have enough to win the division. Key factors in the projection are Maye rising even higher in the NFL’s elite QB ranks, a motivated Brown providing him a bona fide No. 1 receiver and the likely learning curve of Brady with the Bills, the only other team with a realistic chance of contending,” Reiss wrote.
The two Bills vs. Patriots matchups this season will be significant. Last season, the Bills lost at home to the Patriots but then went to New England and secured a win. Buffalo will host New England in Week 4 and then face the Patriots on the road in Week 13.
If the Bills can pull off both wins this season, they will be in the driver’s seat to win the division.
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