AFC East
1. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
Even with the Buffalo Bills moving on from Sean McDermott in favor of Joe Brady, they are still in a good position to win the AFC East. One huge advantage Buffalo will have in switching head coaches is that Brady was already with the organization, so there is a ton of familiarity that should help this transition be easier.
The Bills were also plenty good enough to win the division in 2025, but the breakout New England Patriots had other ideas and were able to take advantage of what was an insanely easy schedule. Things are going to balance out a bit more in 2026, as the Bills return to the top of the division.
2. New England Patriots: 9-8
New England will regress a bit in 2026. The schedule does get harder, and while Patriots fans might be tired of hearing this, it's the truth. Winning 14 games and advancing to the Super Bowl last year was very impressive, but there simply isn't a viable path for that to be the case in 2026.
Buffalo is still a juggernaut, and the increased difficulty in opponents will also have an impact as well.
3. New York Jets: 3-14
The New York Jets did make a ton of change this offseason, which included bringing in Geno Smith at quarterback. Even though Smith was a disaster in 2025 for the Las Vegas Raiders, he should still be a better option than what the Jets had in 2025, which is saying a lot.
And while the roster did get improved, there are still some giant unknowns with Smith's performance and even with head coach Aaron Glenn, who looked to be in way over his head last year. The Jets do have three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, but that won't help them to avoid another brutal season in 2026.
4. Miami Dolphins: 3-14
Speaking of brutal, I struggle to see how anyone could argue the Miami Dolphins won't be anything but terrible in 2026. Yes, this team is in year one of a long rebuild. which is much-needed, but the roster is bad, the starting quarterback might not be anything more than a backup, and the new coaching staff is not guaranteed to be the right group.
Assessing where this team is at during the 2027 season would give us a better read on if the rebuild is going in the right direction. For now, though, 2026 is going to be a long year.
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