AFC East Has ONE KING in 2025

By Dan Salem

Posted on July 9, 2025

We all know who the KING is in the AFC East this season, because only the Bills have proven themselves. But there is a surprise dark horse looming.

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Most NFL divisions are balanced, with a good team, a bad team and two competitive up and comers. Some are top heavy, while others are chock full of dump at the bottom. Where does your favorite division fall in 2025? We answer the most interesting questions about each division heading into the new season.

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Which team(s) has quarterback issues? What coach is on the hot seat, or is there more than one? Who’s the division favorite? How about a dark horse to take the title? Who will be in last place? Finally, the real question and the only one that matters. How many Super Bowl contenders does your division have? We enter the AFC East, which has only one king and a bunch of dark horses.

NFC Division Previews: NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West
AFC Division Previews: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West

AFC East 2025 Preview

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Quarterback Battles:

Buffalo/Miami – None
New York Jets – Noticeable (Todd Salem) – The Jets made big offseason waves by bringing in fan favorite Justin Fields. The problem is two-fold. Fields is a favorite more when he’s on the sideline or in hypothetical discussions and less when he’s actually starting and playing. Second, New York has the ultimate backup quarterback on-roster in Tyrod Taylor. If Fields can’t generate consistent offense through the air, a clamor for Taylor could begin.

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New England Patriots – On The Radar (Dan Salem) – If a sophomore slump befalls the Patriots QB, then we will immediately begin to wonder who can provide a spark to this team. Drake Maye played well, but did not wow me in his rookie year. Now he has a new head coach and maybe better weapons to work with. I can’t really say, but I do know the defense is middle of the road. There is a lot on his shoulders and the blame could fall to him quickly if September is rocky.

Hot Seat Coach:

Buffalo/New England/New York – None
Miami Dolphins – Someone Turn On The Ceiling Fan (Todd) ; Simmering (Dan)

Todd Salem: Everyone loves Mike McDaniel as an idea. He is an offensive wizard; he puts his players in position to succeed; his offenses are elite statistically year after year. But his teams seem capped at ‘pretty good.’ How much longer will Dolphins leadership give him to get over the hump against the best teams in the league and in the playoffs? 2025 could be pivotal.

Dan Salem: By hitching his wagon to Tua, McDaniel is about to find out if he can survive to groom another passer. Maybe the Dolphins are a playoff team this year, or maybe not. Maybe Tua stays healthy this season, or maybe not. With so many maybes and a worsening track record of success, the seat is getting hot in Miami.

Division Favorite:

Buffalo Bills – Todd Salem: The rest of the East was catching up to Buffalo in preseason prognostications the past couple seasons, but they never seemed to close the gap once teams took the field. The Bills enter 2025 back to normal as the prohibitive favorites. In many outlets, they are the heaviest division favorite in the entire league. They have a top-tier quarterback, offensive line, run game, head coach, and defense. No one else in the East comes close on paper.

Buffalo Bills – Dan Salem: They are the only complete team that has proven to us they can compete in prior seasons. The Bills enter the year with very few questions and an ever growing chip on their shoulder. Only one thing can stop Buffalo, and that is themselves.

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Dark Horse:

New England Patriots (Todd Salem) – If Drake Maye takes a significant step and becomes one of the best QBs in the sport (which isn’t completely outlandish), the Patriots have a chance. They added weapons all along the offense to support his growth. The defense doesn’t feel ready to compete at that level yet, but the front office also did a lot of work on that side of the ball, including signing Milton Williams and Harold Landry up front. It would be quite a surprise to see NE make a serious run, but I would at least have an explanation if it happened.

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New York Jets (Dan Salem) – I like the Jets for the same reasons you like New England. They have a stud running back who is looking to earn his next contract, as well as a stud wide receiver reunited with his college quarterback. The New York defense will be very good and their QB will be free to play his game. Fields will not have to do a lot to succeed, but no one expects the Jets to win more than five or six games. That makes them a dark horse for ten wins and a playoff spot.

Last Place Team:

New York Jets (Todd Salem) – The offense isn’t there, and it seems like the organization might have known it, taking what amounts to a gap year with Fields behind center. Unless rookie Mason Taylor follows in the unprecedented footsteps of Brock Bowers and immediately pops off, there is only one offensive player (Garrett Wilson) opposing defenses have to worry about.

The defense should still be solid, though it no longer resides on the level of the elite bunch they put together a few seasons ago.

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Miami Dolphins (Dan Salem) – I think the Jets and Patriots will be in the wildcard discussion, because both teams will get more from their QBs than experts believe. The opposite is true in Miami, as Tua likely gets hurt again, because he keeps getting hurt every season. This puts the Dolphins under the gun and a full step behind the rest of this division. Five wins for Miami and a last place finish means lots of change is coming to South Beach.

Number of Super Bowl Contenders:

One – Todd Salem: Buffalo or bust. Miami once felt like an outside contender, but that ship has sailed. The Dolphins now feel much closer to the Patriots and Jets (middling to bad) than they do to the Bills.

One – Dan Salem: Its Buffalo and no one else until proven otherwise. I can see the Jets or Patriots making noise in the playoffs, but they both have to get a lot better to reach that point first. The Bills are already very good and can easily win the AFC with the team as constructed. I don’t believe they pull it off, but they are a true contender.

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Meet our Sports Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

AFC East Preview – This Is The End

Photo Credits: newyorkjets.com and atozsports.com; fox10phoenix.com via Getty Images

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