Most Loaded Division

We’re right in the heart of the largely sports-deprived dog days of summer, so what better time for an NFL preview? Today, we’ll be taking a look at perhaps the most talent-heavy division in the NFL: the wildly competitive AFC East. We grew so accustomed to the Patriots treating this division as their stomping ground for twenty years that it’s strange to see them now residing as potential bottom dwellers 📉

• The Bills seemed to announce their arrival as the Patriots’ successor with their resounding 47-17 rout of New England in the 2021 playoffs, but have since faltered

• Buffalo entered last season as the league-wide Super Bowl favorite, but lost steam over the course of the year. After an embarrassing playoff flameout vs. Cincy that saw friction between their QB and star WR, the Bills hope to right the ship in 2023 👀

The likeliest team to put an end to the Bills’ three year run of division championships appears to be the Jets. Aaron Rodgers changes everything for a New York team that was loaded nearly everywhere but QB last year. He’ll look to form an immediate connection with sophomore WR Garrett Wilson, who flashed major star potential in his rookie year 💪

• While New York’s roster lacks playoff experience, its breadth of young talent on both sides of the football attracted Rodgers. He had a chance to go an alternative route, but was singleminded in his NY pursuit

• Spurning Belichick and co. had to be the icing on the cake for Rodgers’ big summer 😂

The Patriots presented as a puzzling destination for Rodgers anyway, as the franchise is running far more on past prestige than current talent. Stuck in an incredibly stacked division with Mac Jones’ future as QB seemingly up in the air, it’s hard to find much hope for New England in 2023. The more intriguing wild card in the AFC East is definitely the loaded Miami Dolphins 🐬

• The Dolphins’ offense was truly elite with Tua Tagovailoa under center last year — the issue was the string of concussions that ruined his season

• Beyond his short-term availability, Tua’s injury history is cause for concern toward his long-term health. However, reports say Tua will be good to go come September - him plus the Dolphins’ loaded WR group and addition of Jalen Ramsey will be dangerous 🔥

It’s definitely a toss up in the AFC East, with three teams ridiculously close from an odds perspective. Where are you putting your future? 👇

Odds To Win The AFC East (subject to change)

• Bills: +130

• Jets: +250

• Dolphins: +290

• Patriots: +750

Trivia Question: The Jets have the longest current playoff drought of any NFL team at 12 seasons - who has the second longest?

For My Parlay Gurus

Call me crazy, but I like the Jets to finally get over the hump and end their painfully long postseason drought with a division title. This roster is primed for a veteran QB to take them to the next level, and Aaron Rodgers should still have one to two more quality seasons left in his Hall-of-Fame career. These obviously won’t cash for a while, but I like both version of Jets success this season 🍿

• Jets to win the AFC East: +250

• Jets to win OVER 9.5 games: -122

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Trivia Answer: No one else is even close…Denver’s drought of 7 seasons of missing the playoffs sits at number two