The New England Patriots have won the AFC East 12 times in the 14-year reign of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Era. The defending Super Bowl champions are expected to make it a baker's dozen this year; at press time, the Patriots are heavy –150 favorites to win the AFC East, followed by the Miami Dolphins (+400), Buffalo Bills (+425) and New York Jets (+750).
In theory, 2015 could be the most difficult season for New England since Brady was injured in Week 1 of the 2008 campaign. Brady has been suspended for the first four games in response to the Deflategate scandal. Also, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner left as free agents. But have the other three teams improved enough to take advantage?
A Man Named Suh
The Dolphins think this could be their year after they signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a massive contract. The receiving corps should also be much better with the arrival of Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, and first-round pick DeVante Parker. However, the Fish have their own issues at cornerback to address.
Buffalo will be an interesting team to watch under new head coach Rex Ryan, but he walks into an uncertain quarterbacking situation with EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel competing for the No. 1 job. Ryan's former team, the Jets, will apparently stick with QB Geno Smith after improving the secondary with Revis and Antonio Cromartie at the corners. We'll soon see if Ryan was the problem with New York's quarterbacks all along.