The New England Patriots are hoping to stay healthy in 2014, which the oddsmakers believe could lead them to representing the AFC in their eighth Super Bowl appearance.
Odds to win AFC East: Patriots favored over Dolphins
The Patriots are a huge favorite in AFC East again. Can Miami challenge them?
Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots fell one game short a year ago, but they are strong 1/3 favorites to win their 12th AFC East division title in the 14th year of the Tom Brady era.
New England lost to the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos, 26-16, in the 2014 AFC Championship Game, although making it that far was quite an accomplishment, as the team overcame some early adversity and suffered several key injuries along the way.
Not only did the Pats have to deal with the aftermath of the Aaron Hernandez murder charges, but fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski was limited to just seven games due to arm and knee injuries.
Gronkowski was not the only key New England player to miss valuable time. Linebacker Jerod Mayo (pectoral) and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (Achilles) played a combined 10 games and their return along with the addition of All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis should put the Pats in prime position to go over their win total of 11.
While New England has been a steady force in the AFC East for more than a decade, the other three teams have some serious work to do in order to challenge for the division crown in 2014. The Miami Dolphins (13/2), New York Jets (13/2), and Buffalo Bills (9/1) each need to improve upon serious offensive deficiencies, with all of them scoring more than 100 points less than the Patriots last year.
The Dolphins open at home against the Patriots, which could set the tempo for the division race.
The Dolphins (O/U 7.5 wins) saw third-year QB Ryan Tannehill struggle at times in his sophomore season due mostly to poor offensive line play, as he was sacked a league-high 58 times. Miami needs to do a much better job of protecting Tannehill and has been working hard on the no-huddle offense to help solve that problem.
The Jets (O/U 7 wins) signed former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker and former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson this offseason in hopes of boosting their offense. Still, New York's fate will likely be decided by how well quarterbacks Geno Smith and Michael Vick perform with those new weapons.
The Bills (O/U 6.5 wins) need second-year QB EJ Manuel to start more than the 10 games he played as a rookie in 2013, especially after selecting All-American WR Sammy Watkins in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Buffalo has now spent first-round picks in consecutive years on offense and must start scoring more points in order to bail out a defense already missing its leading tackler in LB Kiko Alonso, who will miss the entire season due to a knee injury.
