AFCE team with the best chance of taking the division title away from the Bills

[BuffaloBill]

If you assume that another AFCE team is able to take the division from the Bills, who is most likely to do it and why?

[JohnNord]

Curious to why people think Miami is more of threat than NYJ?  

[Buffalo Boy]

A healthy Rogers gives the Jets the potential to be a dangerous beast.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

The Fins came closest last year, but for the Bills’ late season run, it was Miami’s to lose. Returning many of the same cast of characters over there, my guess is it will be similarly neck and neck until late in the year when we pull it off again 👏.

[Gregg]

Remove NE as they have no shot. It's between the Dolphins and Jets. If Rodgers can stay healthy then it will be the Jets. If he can't then it will be the Dolphins.

[freddyjj]

I said Jets mainly because of their D, ability to beat the Bills and the fact Rodgers is back.  
 

Miami has only beaten 2 teams with a winning record in last 2 seasons.  Paper tigers. 

[GunnerBill]

I think it is the Jets. I expect the Fins to take a step back. 

[Freddie's Dead]

Fish > Jests.  Fish have better offensive weapons, good D, better coach.  Jests are still dysfunctional, even with a better D and Ayahuasca Boy at QB.  Media pressure will rip the Jests apart.

[NewEra]

2 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Curious to why people think Miami is more of threat than NYJ?  

I think the Jets are a bigger threat with a healthy QB, but playing devils advocate, Nate Hackett should be the reason why someone thinks Miami is a bigger threat.

[dpberr]

A lot would have to go wrong for the Bills not to win the division this year.

 

I picked the Jets because the Dolphins, until they prove otherwise, are not a cold weather/bad weather team and will always backslide come December, and this year, after Thanksgiving, they play at Green Bay, at Cleveland, at NYJ.  That's likely three losses.  They also play the Bills at home November 3.  

 

Jets ride and die on AR's health and the defense, which mitigates the mediocre coaching.  I suspect this is AR's last season playing professional football, so he may give it his all.  

 

For the Patriots, this is a tank year for learning and restocking for 2026, which would be Maye's third pro year.  

[Augie]

I’d have to go with the Jets, despite Rodgers’ age and injury.  I didn’t think Tua would be able to finish last season, and I need to see more before I can think of him as sufficiently durable. Between that and the noodle arm, I’m looking at that Jets D and it can make me a bit nervous. 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Fish > Jests.  Fish have better offensive weapons, good D, better coach.  Jests are still dysfunctional, even with a better D and Ayahuasca Boy at QB.  Media pressure will rip the Jests apart.

 

Do the fish have a good D? They haven't shown it. Better offensive weapons and a cleverer coach for sure. 

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Fish > Jests.  Fish have better offensive weapons, good D, better coach.  Jests are still dysfunctional, even with a better D and Ayahuasca Boy at QB.  Media pressure will rip the Jests apart.

 

I think you need to catch up on Miami's changes...they didn't have that great of a defense last year, and they lost all their best players in their front 7, like all of them.  

 

Miami in 2022 went on a 5 game losing streak with a healthy Tua in the final 6 games and was in danger of missing the playoffs week 18 until Tua missed that game and a 3rd string rookie QB helped them snap the losing streak to just squeek into the playoffs...where they lost first game.

 

Miamin in 2023 had a 4 game lead on the division with 5 games to go,  With two MVP candidates in Tua and Hill through stretches of last year, they still couldn't manage to hold on and again blew the division and wound up as the 7th seed again in the playoffs to once again lose round 1.

 

In 2 years, the only 2 games they have won against a team .500 or better was the Bills early in 2022 in the heat stroke game.  A game where they only won because the Bills were missing 13 starters between injuries coming in and heat related issues during the game.  It was so bad that Tommy Doyle had to play the final driver of the game for 5 plays on a torn ACL because we did not have enough OL to put on the field.  And that was the reason the OL was so slow on the final play and couldn't get set to kick the game winning FG and Dorsey did his infmaous blow up in the booth.  It took that extreme condition for them to beat a .500 team, and they were 1 second away from not winning that game.  The other was Dallas, another paper tiger.  

 

And not only do they not beat .500 or better teams, often they were not really even competitive.  

 

And in 2024, their roster is considerably worse on the defensive side of the ball with Aaron Rodgers now also back in the division, and the Pats potentially being decent if Jacoby or Maye stabilize at QB because the Pats still have a strong defense and good run game.  They won't be the easy out many think even though I don't believe they have any shot at the division.

 

Not only will Miami not win the division, I have doubts they even make the playoffs.  They were the 7th seed last year squeeking in again like 2022 and that was without Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Anthony Richardson in the AFC due to injuries.  Then you have an expected improved QB situation in Pittsburgh as well, an improved opportunity for the Chargers with a better coaching staff there as well.  Making the playoffs in the AFC was hard last year, but it should be even harder this year.  And you still have the Tua injury factor always looming as well.

 

Bills 

Jets 

Miami 

Pats

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

15 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Do the fish have a good D? They haven't shown it. Better offensive weapons and a cleverer coach for sure. 

You're right.

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I think you need to catch up on Miami's changes...they didn't have that great of a defense last year, and they lost all their best players in their front 7, like all of them.  

 

Miami in 2022 went on a 5 game losing streak with a healthy Tua in the final 6 games and was in danger of missing the playoffs week 18 until Tua missed that game and a 3rd string rookie QB helped them snap the losing streak to just squeek into the playoffs...where they lost first game.

 

Miamin in 2023 had a 4 game lead on the division with 5 games to go,  With two MVP candidates in Tua and Hill through stretches of last year, they still couldn't manage to hold on and again blew the division and wound up as the 7th seed again in the playoffs to once again lose round 1.

 

In 2 years, the only 2 games they have won against a team .500 or better was the Bills early in 2022 in the heat stroke game.  A game where they only won because the Bills were missing 13 starters between injuries coming in and heat related issues during the game.  It was so bad that Tommy Doyle had to play the final driver of the game for 5 plays on a torn ACL because we did not have enough OL to put on the field.  And that was the reason the OL was so slow on the final play and couldn't get set to kick the game winning FG and Dorsey did his infmaous blow up in the booth.  It took that extreme condition for them to beat a .500 team, and they were 1 second away from not winning that game.  The other was Dallas, another paper tiger.  

 

And not only do they not beat .500 or better teams, often they were not really even competitive.  

 

And in 2024, their roster is considerably worse on the defensive side of the ball with Aaron Rodgers now also back in the division, and the Pats potentially being decent if Jacoby or Maye stabilize at QB because the Pats still have a strong defense and good run game.  They won't be the easy out many think even though I don't believe they have any shot at the division.

 

Not only will Miami not win the division, I have doubts they even make the playoffs.  They were the 7th seed last year squeeking in again like 2022 and that was without Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Anthony Richardson in the AFC due to injuries.  Then you have an expected improved QB situation in Pittsburgh as well, an improved opportunity for the Chargers with a better coaching staff there as well.  Making the playoffs in the AFC was hard last year, but it should be even harder this year.  And you still have the Tua injury factor always looming as well.

 

Bills 

Jets 

Miami 

Pats

 

I agree with every word of this save for Pittsburgh's QB situation. Russ sucks. Their best hope is that they figure out he sucks early and put Fields in and let him run.

[Alphadawg7]

8 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I agree with every word of this save for Pittsburgh's QB situation. Russ sucks. Their best hope is that they figure out he sucks early and put Fields in and let him run.

 

I actually think there is a good chance Fields will finish the season as the starting QB as well, maybe even win it outright in camp/preseason.  But I do still think Russ is still better than what they had last year, not by much, but a little and they were a near playoff team last year.  But I do agree Russ sucks...just not quite as much as the QB's they had last season in Pitt.

[eball]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I think it is the Jets. I expect the Fins to take a step back. 

 

Agree.  The Fins got worse on defense, and while their video game offense will put up numbers in the regular season they are not better than they were a year ago.

 

With competent quarterbacking the Jets are the threat.

 

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Do the fish have a good D? They haven't shown it. Better offensive weapons and a cleverer coach for sure. 

 

3 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Fish > Jests.  Fish have better offensive weapons, good D, better coach.  Jests are still dysfunctional, even with a better D and Ayahuasca Boy at QB.  Media pressure will rip the Jests apart.

Do the fish have a better head coach?

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Do the fish have a better head coach?

 

I think he is a very good offensive coordinator which possibly makes up for some of his leadership flaws as a Head Coach. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

4 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Curious to why people think Miami is more of threat than NYJ?  

Bc the Jets are trash until proven otherwise. At least Miami has made the playoffs the past decade. New York always plays us tough, I’ll give them that, but they get continuously hyped up year after year and fall flat. Aaron Rodgers better stay healthy bc this is literally their last shot to make some noise. When he retires, they will be drowning in QB futility much like we did for all those years hoping to catch lightning in a bottle w/ a good defense and running game. I’d much rather they win than Miami or New England if I had to choose one.