We continue to overview the NFL Divisions as Training Camp nears.
We previously looked at:
NFC South
NFC East
NFC North
NFC West
AFC East
2023 Standings
Buffalo 11-6
Miami 11-6
New York 7-10
New England 4-13
Kansas City beat Miami 26-7 in the Wild Card Round.
Buffalo beat Pittsburgh 31-17 in the Wild Card Round, before losing 27-24 to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
2024 Current Over / Under Projected Win Totals
Buffalo 10.5
Miami 9.5
New York 9.5
New England 4.5
Quick Hits
Bills – My perception is that people have largely written the Bills off as a legitimate contender; I think that’s a mistake. Josh Allen’s 18 picks last were excessive, but I see him as the 2020s version of ’90s Brett Farve. He’s a gunslinger. Sometimes he gets himself in trouble because he believes he can make every play, vs. taking an easier available checkdown; but he’s also one of the limited handful of guys who are true difference makers throughout the game. It’s Year 3 for RB James Cook. Cook is coming off a 1,100 yard season, where he averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Behind Cook is Rookie 4th RB Ray Davis, who spent his Senior year at Kentucky. He’s a bowling ball, and if he’s shows capable of blocking – look for him to share carries with Cook. Rookie WR Keon Coleman fell to the 2nd round in the draft. If Allen and Coleman develop an early rapport, the rookie could be in for a big year. It does feel like Coleman has to be immediately productive for this offense to really click. Love the TE combo of Dalton Kincaid, and Dawson Knox. Maybe most importantly for the offense, the entire O-Line is back in-tact. Defensively, I like the Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, and AJ Epenesa group up-front. Can Von Miller come back and make a difference on 3rd down? A healthy Matt Milano will help in the middle.
Dolphins – Going into last year, my general take on Miami is that I believed their offense was a problem when they had optimal conditions (health, good weather, etc), but I needed to see Tua Tagovailoa stay on the field. He did that, playing all 17 games in the regular season, and the Wild Card game. If he’s up-right, the Dolphins can’t be overlooked with their firepower. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert is a lot to deal with. Backup RB De’Von Achane had 800 yards on the ground, and averaged an absurd 7.8 yards per carry. O’Dell Beckham found his legs down the stretch for the Ravens last year, and now is the 3rd WR for Miami. He figures to get a lot of single coverage to potentially take advantage of. Another former Raven – Calais Campbell is now a Dolphin. Could see Campbell helping the middle of their D-Line. They are in good shape on the edge with Zach Sieler (10 sacks), Bradley Chubb, Jalen Phillips, and Rookie 1st Rounder Chop Robinson (Terp who transferred to Penn State). CB Jalen Ramsey was limited to 10 games in ’23, but was still a Pro Bowler.
Jets – NY had a lot of hype going into last year, and then Aaron Rodgers was injured in his 4th snap of Week 1. Rodgers is a 4x MVP, with back-to-back wins in ’20 and ’21. He doesn’t have to be what he was in absolute prime, to be a significant improvement vs. anything the Jets were able to field this past season. The O-Line got a boost with Free Agent additions at both Tackles – former Raven Morgan Moses, and Tyron Smith, and then the Jets spent their 1st round pick on Olu Fashanu. If Rodgers gets through the year, they can absolutely get to the playoffs. RB Breece Hall, and WR Garrett Wilson have to be excited about Rodgers returning. The offense doesn’t have to carry this team, they just need to be respectable because the defense is loaded. The D-Line is 4 former 1st rounders. CJ Mosley just turned 32, but he’s missed just 1 game the last 3 years. Sauce Gardner has been a 1st team All-Pro his first two years in the league.
Patriots – New England won only 4 games last year, but the defense was pretty competitive, even after losing Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez to injury. Both are now back. Seeing the Patriots without Bill Belichick will take awhile to get used to. I don’t think the game has passed Belichick by, but I do think a new voice can help sometimes. New Head Coach Jerod Mayo is just 38 years old. Can imagine the players rallying around him to a degree. Unfortunately for NE, their 3 divisional foes all have playoff aspirations. Jacoby Brissett is expected to begin the year as the starting QB, but he doesn’t figure to hold off Rookie QB Drake Maye for long. The offensive weapons are weak.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.