The 2025-26 season was a departure from what had become the norm in the AFC East after the New England Patriots won the divisional crown for the first time since 2019. It ended a stretch of five consecutive AFC East Championships for the Buffalo Bills. This year, the race for the divisional crown might only be between two teams, but it will be as tight as last year, if not tighter. Let's take a look at how the divisional standings will shake out this coming season.

1. New England Patriots

Some people might disagree with this selection, but others probably believe it's the right choice. Either way, I'm having a hard time picking against New England to once again win the division. A lot was made of how easy the Patriots' schedule was last season, and rightfully so. Since 1999, the 2025-26 New England Patriots had the easiest schedule of any NFL team. Despite that stain on an otherwise fantastic campaign, the Pats are locked and loaded to take the AFC East again. They are the most talented team in the division when you break things down by position groups:

More importantly, the Patriots are equipped with the best coaching staff in not just the AFC East, but quite possibly the NFL! Some people are expecting a Super Bowl slump from this team, including yours truly. However, the Pats addressed all of their major holes on both sides of the ball this off-season, which means they're slight favorites to win the division over the Bills.

2. Buffalo Bills

I’m going to get a lot of flak from the Buffalo Bills fans in my life, but I can't in good conscience say that the Bills will finish higher in the AFC East standings than the New England Patriots. There are way too many question marks for the Bills this coming season. First of all, Buffalo is breaking in a new head coach. Whenever a new coach is hired in the NFL, they’re going to deal with growing pains, regardless of how good they end up being. Andy Reid only won five games in his first year as a head coach. Hall of Famer Bill Walsh went 2-14 in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers. Even Bill Belichick suffered 10 losses in his first head coaching stint. New head coach Joe Brady is bound to face some hiccups this season. Also, this group is overly reliant on quarterback Josh Allen. Obviously, when you have an MVP-caliber player, he’s going to be the heart and soul of your team, but if Josh Allen were to miss any time this season, it would be catastrophic for Buffalo. Though that might be true for most playoff teams, the dual-threat nature of Josh Allen's playstyle makes him even more important to his team than a guy like Drake Maye. The Bills will be good and probably even make the playoffs, but there will be some missteps along the way, which opens up the door for the Patriots to finish ahead of them in the AFC East.

3. New York Jets

The New York Jets will NOT be the worst team in the division, and that honestly might be cause for celebration in the tri-state area. Whether we want to believe it or not, the Jets' roster is loaded with talented players. They have a high-quality starting running back, wide receiver, tight end, left tackle, right tackle, defensive end, middle linebacker, and safety. As has often been the case with Gang Green, though, they have major question marks at quarterback, kicker, and head coach. Geno Smith is a much better starting QB than Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, and Brady Cook. However, we can't forget that Smith had the second-most turnovers in the NFL last season (18) despite only playing in 15 games. We also don't know if the Jets have resolved their kicking issues. If either Jason Sanders or Cade York struggles this coming season, that will cost Gang Green points and - inevitably - wins. And of course there are concerns about Aaron Glenn, who looked completely overwhelmed at times in his first year as a head coach. I do expect him to be better this season, but that still doesn't mean that the Jets will be good. There's enough talent on this team that New York should be able to finish the regular season with well over three wins. Regardless, the Jets will not seriously threaten the Bills or Patriots in the race for the AFC East divisional crown.

4. Miami Dolphins

We round out our AFC East predictions with the Miami Dolphins, who are going to take a step back after going 7-10 last season. The top-to-bottom turnover that this franchise experienced this off-season will lead to plenty of growing pains during the 2026-27 campaign. First off, they have a new head coach, who had only been a defensive coordinator for two seasons at the NFL level before taking the reins in Miami. Plus, the 'Phins will be employing a new starting quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, left guard, defensive end, and outside linebacker. Not to mention there will be three new corners and two safeties in the mix on the back end. This is going to be a difficult season in South Beach. With that in mind, I don't think the Dolphins will be as bad as everyone thinks. The offensive line should be better, creating plenty of rushing lanes for Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane. And if Miami can establish a strong ground game, then that will make life much easier for new quarterback Malik Willis. The 'Phins will almost certainly have a losing record this coming season, but it's not unreasonable to think that they could win five or six games. That might not make them the worst team in the NFL, but it will put them at the bottom of the AFC East.