Tom Brady might miss a quarter of the 2016 regular season, and New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker believes that could be enough to end the New England Patriots’ stranglehold on first place in the AFC East.
Brady is facing a four-game suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate, although the legal back-and-forth continues. But if the suspension remains intact, the Patriots would be without their four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for games against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
Considering that two of those teams — the Dolphins and Bills — are AFC East opponents, Decker believes the division now is in play for teams outside of Foxboro, Mass.
“You gotta win your division games. With Brady being suspended four games, I think it makes the division up for grabs,” Decker said on NFL Network’s “Total Access,” via ESPN.
The Patriots have won the last seven division crowns, but it appears the rest of the AFC East is champing at the bit to capitalize on Brady’s suspension, if it remains intact.
Thumbnail photo via Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports Images
