Buffalo Bills

2021 Record 11-6

Odds to win division -240

Coming into the season as the Super Bowl favorite, Buffalo looks to build off of its heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. The team is stacked across the board on both sides of the football and look to finally break through and reach the Super Bowl this year.

Gabe Davis looks to step into the WR2 behind Stefon Diggs this season. With the losses of both Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, he should fit right in. Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder are battling it out for the number three wide receiver. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is now the Giants head coach but Ken Dorsey, who was previously the QB coach, should step right in just fine. Buffalo drafted James Cook in round two of the NFL draft this year to compete with Devin Singletary and Zach Moss. His pass catching ability out of the backfield should benefit the offense and gives them another dynamic playmaker.

Von Miller joins an already star studded defense in a move that could get this Bills squad over the hump. Buffalo has had one of the NFL’s best secondaries and will do so again in 2022. Tre’Davious White will return from injury and they drafted rookie Kaiir Elam from Florida who has looked good this preseason.

The only thing that is going against Buffalo is how insanely difficult the AFC is. I have mentioned how weak the NFC seems to be this year. Well….all the good teams are over in the AFC it seems. Outside of a Miami surge, the Bills should repeat as East champs again. The schedule starts off pretty tough against the defending Super Bowl champs in LA but eases out towards the second half of the year. They should be able to win 11+ games this season and will be a heavy favorite to make it to the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots

2021 Record 10-7

Odds to win division +500

Mac Jones in his rookie season looked like he could hold up as a starter in the NFL. Whether he can do what Tom Brady did throughout the years and cover holes in the rest of the squad remains to be seen. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel took the Raiders head coaching gig and left Joe Judge and Matt Patricia to co-lead the offense. The move makes very little sense but so we will see how that adventure goes. 

 It’s very hard to be optimistic about this offense. New England spent aggressively in free agency last year and has gotten very little in return. Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and Nelson Agholor do not intimidate defenses yet here we are. This year, they paid DeVante Parker, who will more than likely end up the WR1. I expect Rhamondre Stevenson to end up taking over the lead role from Damien Harris by years end but this should still be a classic Patriots split backfield. They reached for rookie Cole Strange in this years draft to help an offensive line that has been in a steady decline.

Bill Belichick is still one of the best defensive minds ever but the talent on the defensive side has fallen off. Star corner JC Jackson left for the Chargers and Kyle Van Noy along with Dont’a Hightower didn’t return to the team, leaving big holes throughout all three defensive groups. Unless BB can work some magic, the defense will take a step back as well this year.

Belichick has always been a hell of a coach but general manager Bill Belichick is starting to catch up with this team. The lack of talent on both sides of the ball will hurt and the spending they did last offseason has not gotten a great return on investment. This isn’t a ten win team and I have a hard time seeing them as a playoff contender with how the rest of the AFC looks. 

Regression is coming for New England. 

Miami Dolphins

2021 Record 9-8

Odds to win division +475

Things are starting to get exciting down in Miami. New head coach Mike McDaniel has been regarded as the guru behind Kyle Shanahan’s offenses in years past and will bring his version to the sunshine state. There is a lot to be excited about with this team and we will start with the offense.

Tua Tagovailoa will have every chance to succeed in 2022. First off, they protect him by bringing in left tackle Terron Armstead from New Orleans. Miami then brings in the most electric wide receiver in football in Tyreek Hill to pair him with second year receiver Jaylen Waddle. Chase Edmonds comes over from Arizona as the RB1 and speedster Raheem Mostert is the backup. Speed kills in the NFL and the Miami Dolphins have the most of anyone. The offense for the Dolphins should be much improved this upcoming season and will be a treat to watch.

The defense has carried this team the last few years and it finally feels like the offense will be able to keep up. Miami resigned Emmanuel Ogbah, who will lead a very tough defensive line who gets to the quarterback plenty. The back end of the defense, led by Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, still remains the most talented on the defensive side of the ball. They should be able to build on what they did the second half of the season which was shut teams down.

If Tua is the real deal, this could be a playoff team and a very dangerous one at that. The offense has a good chance to be elite with two of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL and a very underrated running back room. The defense will hold its end of the bargain once again and be a force. The Dolphins should be a 10+ win team this year and fighting for a wild card spot.  

New York Jets

2021 Record 4-13

Odds to win division +2800

The most exciting thing to happen for the Jets this offseason was finding out Zach Wilson’s interest in older women. Since then, Zach Wilson is now injured and questionable to start the season.

In comes the elite Joe Flacco. There are some weapons to work with along with a decent offensive line. They drafted rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson in the first round to pair with second year receiver Elijah Moore and Corey Davis. Electric running back Breece Hall was drafted in round two this year and will be splitting time with Michael Carter. The offense itself doesn’t look bad but its just hard to trust at the quarterback position. There wasn’t much to be excited about with Wilson last year and we know what Flacco is by now. The Jets also have one week sensation Mike White in the quarterback room as well. 

The defense, however, needs some work. One of the worst ranked defenses of last year, they look to improve and did so with drafting cornerback Sauce Gardner fourth overall this year. Carl Lawson returns from injury this season and joins Quinnen Williams on the defensive line. The defensive line has depth with guys like Vinny Curry, Solomon Thomas, and rookie Jermaine Johnson. The problem last year was that they were horrible against the run. Going up against Lamar Jackson and the run heavy Ravens in week one will be the first test to see if this defense got any better this offseason. 

The Jets first nine games are Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Miami, Green Bay, Denver, New England, and Buffalo. If they can find a way to make it out of the first half of the season alive, we’ll see what happens but thats just brutal. It’s a shame how hard their schedule is this year but I just wouldn’t expect much from the Jets once again this year. The season could be over by November with how tough their schedule is. 

Division Winner: Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets