AFC East Preview: Predicting Where Patriots Finish In Division
Oddsmakers give New England the longest odds to win the division
The New England Patriots have not finished last in the AFC East since the NFL's realignment in 2001. They are the only team in the division to not have finished fourth out of four teams.
And their divisional rival New York Jets (nine times), Buffalo Bills (seven times) and Miami Dolphins (five times) had stretches where they were quite familiar with it. Gang Green has finished last in each of the past three seasons, with five fourth-places finishes in the last six campaigns.
The Patriots, however, could enter that territory this year.
Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook give the Patriots the longest odds to win the AFC East at 8-1. There's a considerable gap behind the three-time defending champion Bills (+120), new-look Jets (+250) and Dolphins (+290).
NESN's Mike Cole, Sean McGuire, Jason Ounpraseuth and Keagan Stiefel view the division playing out exactly the same. After predicting each AFC East team's schedule, the results formulated the hierarchy in the division.
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Here's how we predict the standings will look at the end of the regular season:
Bills: 11-6
Jets: 10-7
Dolphins: 9-8
Patriots: 8-9
It almost certainly would mean Bill Belichick's team misses out on the postseason for the third time in four seasons. Oddsmakers view the Patriots much more likely to miss the playoffs than qualify (-325 to miss). Because even with the arrival of offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and a versatile defense, the Patriots -- well, at least on paper -- don't have the offensive talent to keep up with other teams in the division or the conference.
