The New England Patriots are poised to run the table in the AFC East
The New England Patriots are superior when it comes to the AFC East and while fans of the other teams would like to believe otherwise, they just can’t. I can sit here and state theories and wishful thinking but how can the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills claim to be contenders when they haven’t won the division since 2008?
And that was due to Tom Brady being injured and they still managed to win 4 games.
Since Brady took over, the Patriots have won the AFC East a staggering 14 times out of the 16 years he’s been a starter and one of those 2nd place finishes were an injury-related year. At what point do any of those 3 teams should feel like they have a chance in hell of knocking them off? We hear the same argument every season, ” we split with them”, “they’re getting old” or the famous one “but, they’re cheaters”. Oh man, I get a laugh from listening to a whiney fanbase.
Since 2001 the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills have gone through a total of 24 QB’s that have led their team in passing while the Pats have gone through 2. And one of those were due to injury. Mostly, it’s been the Brady Show. However, other than Brady, it’s been a cast of “you no longer want that player, we’ll take him” type of scheme in New England. And yet, no team has managed to dethrone the Pats. Last season was their best chance as New England had to play the first 4 games without Brady due to suspension. And how did that play out in the East? Dolphins (4-2), Jets (2-4), Bills (1-5) and Patriots (5-1).
This season is sure to be different right?
Not so fast there. While the Dolphins have improved so did the defending Super Bowl Champs. As scary as their offense was, it got better with the addition of wide receiver, Brandin Cooks. And last I checked, the Pats still owned one of the top defenses in the league. I can understand the pain that the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins are dealing with. It has to be hard to know that in order for you to make the playoffs you will eventually have to beat the Pats and pray that their age finally catches up to them.
The Pats will enter the season with a chip on the shoulder. As defending champs, they will have a huge target on their backs and the rest of the division will be out to prove a point. It’s just a shame that no matter how hard they try, they just can’t picture themselves losing the division.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
