Imagine being the Dolphins, Jets and Bills.
For two decades, you had virtually no chance of winning your division. The AFC East was the domain of the Patriots, best of the foursome an astounding 17 of 19 years between 2001 and ’19.
Then, finally, mercifully, Tom Brady moved on. Bill Belichick lost his magic. The Patriots rifled through subpar quarterbacks.
They stunk.
Now, after watching New England completely dismantle the Giants 33–15 on Monday Night Football to improve to 11–2 and maintain possession of the AFC’s top seed, it’s clear.
The Patriots aren’t only back, but rulers of the AFC East once more.
Put yourself in Buffalo’s shoes for a moment. The Bills had a run of five consecutive division titles. Josh Allen won league MVP once. Buffalo enjoyed nine home playoff games, nine more than they played in during New England’s run of dominance. And yet the Bills never made it to the Super Bowl, primarily because they found the red and gold version of the Patriots in the Chiefs, who vanquished them four of the past five postseasons.
And now Kansas City is the least of Buffalo’s worries. New England has a quarterback, Drake Maye, who is proving a worthy rival of Allen, having thrown for 3,412 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in a season which could spell M-V-P. And unfortunately for Buffalo, in a league heavily weighted toward who has the best coach-quarterback combination, the duo of Maye and Mike Vrabel now trumps that of Allen and Sean McDermott.
While Allen has the better résumé compared to Maye, the youngster looks capable of playing his foil. And on the sideline, it’s not comparable. McDermott’s tenure is checkered with postseason flameouts and curious decisions, ranging from the 13 Seconds debacle to being blown out 27–10 at home by the Bengals in the 2023 divisional round.
Conversely, Vrabel somehow guided the Ryan Tannehill–led Titans to the AFC title game in 2019 on the strength of road wins over the Patriots and Ravens, giving him two more road playoff wins than McDermott has in his entire career.
Of course, it’s still preferable to be the Bills than the Dolphins or Jets. Since 2001, Miami has failed to win a single playoff game, holding the longest active drought in the sport. The Dolphins watched the Patriots crumble like wet sandcastles and did nothing, reaching the postseason twice as a wild-card team only to be quickly dispatched.
New York hasn’t even reached the playoffs since the 2010 season, the league’s longest active drought. The Jets have gone through five coaches during that span, never challenging in a meaningful fashion.
Suddenly, though, while Buffalo remains an obvious threat, the AFC East feels like the new boss meeting the old boss. The Patriots, dormant for a half decade with Mac Jones, Cam Newton and Bailey Zappe ambling around in the pocket, now not only have life but look to have it for a long time, with a 23-year-old superstar quarterback and a 50-year-old coach, both aiming to prove they can reach the pinnacle of their respective professions.
And for the next few seasons, the Patriots have a distinct advantage over the Bills: cap space. With Maye on a rookie deal through the 2028 season, the Patriots can splurge in free agency on a host of talents to surround Maye with, including more weaponry on the perimeter, a better offensive line and some difference-makers in the front seven to join Christian Barmore, K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry III.
Meanwhile, Buffalo is already paying a litany of veteran stars led by Allen, who justifiably costs $56.3 million against the cap next season. Maye costs $9.9 million. All told, the Patriots are projected to have $50 million in cap space in 2026. Buffalo is slated to be $3 million over the threshold.
In short, New England has every tool at its disposal to improve, while Buffalo has only the draft.
If the rest of the division needs hope, there’s the fact that things won’t be this easy for the Patriots next season. They’ll likely be playing a first-place schedule instead of a last-place docket. They’ll also be the hunted instead of the hunter, something New England fans are long familiar with.
But none of that matters right now. The Patriots have the road paved in gold. If they simply win two of their final four games, a stretch which includes the Bills, Ravens, Jets and Dolphins, they’re guaranteed their first division title since the halcyon days of Brady and Belichick.
For two decades, New England lorded over its AFC East fiefdom. Finally, the reign of terror seemed over.
Now it’s back, and it should stay awhile. Imagine that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The AFC East Has a Patriots Problem Again.
