AFC East News, Notes & Betting Odds

New England Patriots 12-4 last year; 1st in the AFC East

-Season win total this year 9 +120, -140

-Odds to win AFC East +130

-Odds to win AFC 11-1

-Odds to win Super Bowl 22-1

-Odds to make Playoffs -180

-Obviously the elephant in the room on any Patriots investments is the departure of Tom Brady to Tampa Bay. The Patriots bring in Cam Newton to compete with Jarrett Stidham, and for my money I think it's a win win for New England. If they get the Cam from a few years ago with a healed shoulder, it's a very low risk opportunity for them. If he is still hurt, then they get to see what they've got with Stidham. 

-New England is a team that over the last few weeks has been steadily hit with guys opting out of the season. Marcus Cannon, Dont'a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Matt LaCosse, Brandon Bolden, and Marquis Lee just to name a few. Interestingly, their season win total only dropped by about a half game, and of course all of that has to do with the man they have leading the team, arguably the greatest coach of all time, Bill Belichick.

-They also brought in Brian Hoyer which I think is a very important signing. He brings that veteran presence into the locker room and really knows the system well and can bring a good amount of stability to that offense.

-The Patriots did lose special teams / WR coach Joe Judge to the Giants, and the great Bret Bielema joined him in New York. A huge loss! (Sarcasm)

Buffalo Bills 10-6 last year, 2nd in the AFC East

-Season win total this year 9 -120, +100

-Odds to win AFC East +120

-Odds to win AFC 12-1

-Odds to win Super Bowl 25-1

-Odds to make playoffs -180

-There seems to be a few teams every season that get a ton of preseason love, and the Buffalo Bills are certainly on the list this year. With Tom Brady finally out of the division, the Bills head into the season as the +120 favorites to capture the division title. 

-There's a lot to like about this team on paper. 10 wins from a year ago, and lost a very close playoff game in overtime on the road to a solid Texans team. 

-They bring in Stefon Diggs from Minnesota and lining him up alongside Cole Beasley and John Brown provides Josh Allen with all of the weapons he needs to win the division. 

-They do lose Shaq Lawson, but were able to replace him with A.J. Epenesa in the draft. 

-At the end of the day, this season is largely doing to come down to Josh Allen's accuracy. He has always had the arm strength, the question has been how accurate can he be with the football. He completed 58% of his passes last season, and for this team to get over the hump, that will have to improve. 

-This team is loaded on defense, has one of the best coaches in the NFL, and has a tremendous amount of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. It's time for them to take that next step. 

Miami Dolphins 5-11 last year, last place in the AFC East

-Season win total this year 6.5 +115, -135

-Odds to win AFC East 8-1

-Odds to win AFC 33-1

-Odds to win Super Bowl 70-1

-Odds to make playoffs +365

-Perhaps no team was more scrutinized last year than the Miami Dolphins. After week 1, they were publicly accused of tanking to get a high draft pick to draft Tua. Well, they won their last 2 games, which resulted in them getting the #5 pick. They were able to get Tua anyways, and now he will be fighting with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting position in training camp. 

-They bring in high profile names including Matt Breida, Jordan Howard, Byron Jones, Shaq Lawson, and Kyle Van Noy. 

-There is a tremendous amount of chatter by numerous sharps on taking Brian Flores to win Coach of the Year at 20-1. The Dolphins are a team loaded with talent, and could surprise a lot of people this year with a low in total of 6.5. Anything above that would be considered a positive improvement for this franchise ,and Flores would deserve a lot of that credit.

-Watch for improvement in the secondary for the Dolphins. With Xavien Howard and Byron Jones back there, both pro bowlers from just a year ago, this team should be vastly improved on the defensive side of the ball.

New York Jets 7-9 last year, 3rd place in the AFC East

-Season win total this year 6.5 +100, -120

-Odds to win AFC East +850

-Odds to win AFC 28-1

-Odds to win Super Bowl 100-1

-Odds to make playoffs +365

-As often seems to be the case, there's been a good amount going on within the Jets organization in the offseason. Jamal Adams got into a public feud with Head Coach Adam Gase before the team shipped him off to Seattle. The Jets also lose reliable RB Bilal Powell, but bring in Tackle Mekhi Becton from Louisville, a player that should make an immediate impact. 

-That said, the Jets look like they are going to have possibly 5 new starters on the offensive line. For a QB that has struggled at times in his first few years in the league, this could be a difficult adjustment for Sam Darnold. 

-Perhaps no coach is on the hot seat as much as Adam Gase. After failing in Miami, the Jets took a chance on him, and he has underperformed so far, posting a 7-9 record last year, and has had his players publicly question him. Gase now has a 30-35 overall record as a head coach in the NFL.