2024 AFC East race: Will Bills, Jets or Dolphins win division title? Reasons why each could prevail
CBSN
The AFC East has been owned by Buffalo in the post-Tom Brady era, but they have two legitimate challengers in 2024
In the AFC East, some things change but still remain the the same.
The division was once dominated by a dynamic quarterback, Tom Brady, and a defensive head coach, Bill Belichick, as the New England Patriots dynamic duo led their squad to win 17 of a possible 20 division crowns from 2000-2019. However, New England is now on the bottom of the pack in the midst of a rebuild after parting ways with Belichick to hire first-time head coach Jerod Mayo, a former Patriots player and assistant coach from the glory years, and to select North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Parity did not take hold in the division despite Brady's departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 because a newer combination of a dynamic quarterback in Josh Allen and defensive head coach in Sean McDermott have powered the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive AFC East championships to start the 2020's. Obviously, the Bills will once again contend for the division as will the Miami Dolphins, who finished 2023 with an identical 11-6 record after losing their regular season finale 21-14 at home against Buffalo. That's the closest a team has come to wrestling the division crown away from the Bills. The New York Jets with a retooled offensive line in front of Aaron Rodgers should also threaten for first place as long as the four-time NFL MVP quarterback remains upright.
