The AFC East has belonged to the New England Patriots over the course of the last several years, and that seems to be the case once again this year. Our summer continues with an AFC East preview, as we look at all of the odds to win the AFC East for four teams in this grouping.

The New England Patriots (AFC East Odds: 1 to 5 SportBet Sportsbook) are once again the bona fide favorites to walk away with this division. We do think that the Pats are one of the best teams in the league, but we think that this is just as much a case of a team being in a bad division as much as anything else. There simply aren’t any challengers for the Brady Bunch, and for as long as QB Tom Brady stays healthy, this is going to be one of the best teams in football. Some are going to cringe at the idea of losing WR Wes Welker, who has had the most catches seemingly every year for the Pats for the last half decade. However, WR Danny Amendola was looked upon as “Wes Welker Jr.” for years and years with the St. Louis Rams, except he was dealing with #1: Injuries and #2: Sam Bradford at quarterback, a combination that has limited him. The defense for New England held teams under 21 points per game last season, and this is the unit that is really going to make the difference for this team when push comes to shove as we see it.

There really isn’t much of a shot for anyone else in the AFC East, but at least the Miami Dolphins (Odds To Win AFC East: 5 to 1 SportBet Sportsbook) seem to have a chance to get the job done to get into the playoffs. This was a team that was the butt of every joke two seasons ago, and even going into last year, there was a question as to whether QB Ryan Tannehill was going to have the ability to play in this league. Tannehill wasn’t the greatest last season, but he did prove that he can play some quarterback. The offense literally scored half the points of New England last season though, and that’s bad news going forward, especially with the best offensive weapon the team had last year, RB Reggie Bush is now gone from the team. Signing WR Mike Wallace amongst others should help at least get the team towards respectability, but we still aren’t sure that this team is amongst the best six in the AFC. There is no doubt that this is the second best team on paper in the division, though that might ultimately be the case if the team only wins six or seven games, too. Unless Tannehill turns out to be the next Tom Brady in a hurry, the Dolphins will always be second best in 2013.

The Buffalo Bills (2013 AFC East Betting Lines: 18 to 1 @ SportBet Sportsbook) released QB Ryan Fitzpatrick before the NFL Draft, and they were the one team that really didn’t have a chance to get a new quarterback to start in the offseason. QB Kevin Kolb doesn’t give us all the confidence in the world. The Bills were convinced that there were, as they put it “two men” that could be franchise quarterbacks. They took one of those men in QB EJ Manuel, and he might be handed the keys to the car right away. Florida State quarterbacks haven’t had a good history of late in the NFL though, and we aren’t all that optimistic that Manuel is going to be able to step right into the fold and win games either. There has been far too much money foolishly spent by the Bills. They might be handicapped for years to come if they can’t figure out how to get their act together and make some great draft picks. As we saw with the Seattle Seahawks last season though, it only takes the right quarterback to turn a very average team into a great team.

And now, we’re sending in the clowns. The New York Jets (NFL AFC East Division Odds: 10 to 1 SportBet Sportsbook) are the third favorites in the AFC East, not the complete underdogs, but we do think that they are finishing in the gutter in the division. The QB Tim Tebow experiment is over with, and it ended in the embarrassment of Tebow getting picked up by the Patriots, who oh by the way, are the team on the schedule in Week 2 of the season. It’s amazing that Head Coach Rex Ryan wasn’t fired for the joke of a team that he put on the field last year. QB Mark Sanchez is still probably going to be the starting quarterback in Week 1, but once again, he has another quarterback looking over his shoulder in QB Geno Smith, who was the team’s second round draft pick this year. There were plenty of good draft picks for New York this year, which might be the one thing that really saves this team going forward, but we aren’t so sure that it will make all that much of a difference when push comes to shove this year. For as long as Sanchez is the quarterback for this team, there are going to be problems.

Latest 2013 Odds to Win the AFC East @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 6/13/13):
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New England Patriots Win AFC East -500
Field Wins AFC East +400

Miami Dolphins Win AFC East +500
Field Wins AFC East -700

New York Jets Win AFC East +1000
Field Wins AFC East -1300

Buffalo Bills Win AFC East +1800
Field Wins AFC East -2500

Three of the four teams in the AFC East think that they have a real chance this year of being contenders to make the playoffs, but only one of the four might ultimately get into the playoffs in this very deep conference. Check out our AFC East NFL picks for 2011!

It really shouldn’t be considered all that much of a surprise that the New England Patriots (Current AFC East Odds: 1 to 1.70 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) are the favorites in this division. QB Tom Brady has a new target to play with in WR Chad Ochocinco, and he still has the use of both of his great young tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski as well. There is some concern about the defense for this team, but adding DT Albert Haynesworth should really help out the toughness of this team. Surprisingly though, on Saturday, SS Brandon Merriweather was released to cut down the roster size.

Does that really open the door for the New York Jets (AFC East Lines: 1.90 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook)? Probably not. New York might have a worse team this year than it did a season ago thanks to the fact that WRs Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith, and Braylon Edwards are all gone. Only WR Plaxico Burress replaces them. The defense, as always, is stacked, and resigning DB Antonio Cromartie helped out quite a bit. However, this is a team that will only go as far as QB Mark Sanchez takes it, and we aren’t convinced that Sanchez is an elite quarterback as of yet in this league.

The Miami Dolphins (Odds to Win the AFC East: 11.20 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) might be the biggest joke in football this year. Head Coach Tony Sparano knows that he has to win with this team right now, or he’ll end up getting fired at season’s end, but this is a team that is delusional about just how good it really is. QB Chad Henne is awful, and the defense has a slew of holes in it even though there are some nice, young pieces to build around. Losing both RBs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown hurt, and adding RBs Larry Johnson, Reggie Bush, and Daniel Thomas just doesn’t seem to be quite the same.

And then there are the Buffalo Bills (2011 AFC East Odds: 40 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook), who really didn’t do anything to help themselves out this year. There were a slew of quarterbacks there for the taking in the NFL Draft, but instead, the team decided that it was going to stick with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, which will likely guarantee yet another year with a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.

2011 NFL Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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Odds To Win AFC East
Buffalo Bills 40 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.70
New York Jets 1.90 to 1
Miami Dolphins 11.20 to 1

Odds To Win Super Bowl
Buffalo Bills 210 to 1
New England Patriots 5.65 to 1
New York Jets 15 to 1
Miami Dolphins 100 to 1

AFC East Super Bowl Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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Odds To Win AFC East Division
Buffalo Bills 25 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.75
New York Jets 1.65 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9.50 to 1

Super Bowl 46 Odds
Buffalo Bills 125 to 1
New England Patriots 5 to 1
New York Jets 9 to 1
Miami Dolphins 60 to 1

AFC East Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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2011 AFC East Odds
Buffalo Bills 40 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.75
New York Jets 1.80 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9 to 1

AFC East Odds To Win the Super Bowl
Buffalo Bills 150 to 1
New England Patriots 6 to 1
New York Jets 9 to 1
Miami Dolphins 50 to 1

NFL Betting Odds @ BoDog Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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AFC East Odds
Buffalo Bills 20 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.65
New York Jets 1.85 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9 to 1

Super Bowl Odds
Buffalo Bills 150 to 1
New England Patriots 11 to 2
New York Jets 12 to 1
Miami Dolphins 60 to 1

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AFC East

Odds to win the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills +600
Miami Dolphins +1000
New England Patriots -400
New York Jets +700

The AFC East was among the most exciting playoff division races of 2009. Miami, New York, and New England all entered the last two weeks of the season with chances to make the playoffs and many were shocked when the Patriots dynasty failed to make the post-season. The Patriots lost QB Tom Brady early in the year and it quickly leveled the playing field among the division. Miami was among one of the biggest turnaround stories in recent memory and became the only team in the division to make the post-season. However, Brady is back and so are the expectations for the Patriots to return to dominance in 2010. The Patriots put together some depth through the NFL Draft and WR Brandon Tate could find away to fit into the air attack in the future. The Jets had a great draft as well landing Mark Sanchez to fill the shoes at quarterback. However, it will take Sanchez some time and the Jets need someone to make an immediate impact. Chad Pennington turned the Dolphins team around in 2009 throwing for over 3600 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Dolphins had an unexpected successful year, but that may have been more of a sign of how weak the division was instead of how well the Dolphins were playing. Buffalo struggled to move the ball last season as they only averaged 305 yards of total offense. The Bills addressed some defensive needs in the draft, but they are in desperate need for playmakers on offense. The Patriots appear to be a lock in the AFC East this year with their high power offense and solid defense. However, if Brady goes down again this year they will have a lot bigger problems as Cassel is not there any longer at backup.

Pick – Patriots -400

AFC North

Odds to win the AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens +250
Cincinnati Bengals +800
Cleveland Browns +800
Pittsburgh Steelers -200

The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their NFL record 6th Super Bowl victory last season and they will of course be rather sizeable favorites to win the AFC North in 2010. The Steelers were involved in some hard fought battles with Baltimore throughout the season, but in the end the Steelers beat the Ravens in all 3 games played. Heading into next year it is fairly safe to say that the division will likely be a two horse racing again. Cleveland and Cincinnati ranked as the bottom two teams in the NFL in 2009 in terms of overall offense. Cleveland averaged 249 yards per game and the Bengals somehow were even worse at 245 yards per game. These two teams combined to only average 26 points per game last season. Seven teams averaged at least 26 points per game last season to just give an idea of how poor these offenses were. Do not expect any dramatic improvements next year. The Steelers and the Ravens were propelled by two very strong defenses in 2009. Pittsburgh’s defense was perhaps the best to take the field in the last decade as they were ranked number 1 in 3 out of 4 major defensive categories. Baltimore’s defense was ranked number 2 behind the Steelers in nearly every category and the two tangled for some low scoring defensive controlled games. The difference this year could be Joe Flacco ability to continue to mature at quarterback for Baltimore. The Ravens used Flacco’s arm to pursue the deep ball more often towards the end of the year and Baltimore could develop into a strong offensive team as well. We will pick the Ravens to play spoiler against the defending champions in the AFC North.

Pick – Baltimore +250

AFC South

Odds to win the AFC South:
Houston Texans +400
Indianapolis Colts +160
Jacksonville Jaguars +200
Tennessee Titans +300

The AFC South should without a doubt be the strongest division in the AFC next season from top to bottom. The Tennessee Titans started 2009 a perfect 10-0 as one of the breakout teams in the league. The Titans will look to stick to strong defense and an offense led by the legs of Chris Johnson. Draft picks Kenny Britt and Jared Cook could become potential weapons after time to develop. Cook has a lot of speed for a tight end that could present some big mismatches in the secondary. The Texans added a lot of focus to the defense during the off-season. Houston allowed 24 points per game last year and things must change for them to contend. Steve Slaton had strong year running the ball and will need similar efforts for Houston this year to keep the offense affective. Jacksonville did a wonderful job adding some premier talent to the offensive line with Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton during the draft. The offensive line allowed a miserable 42 sacks last season and these two young guys will change that. The question is how long will it take? The Jaguars defense is a work in progress and they could be a playmaker away on offense from shaping out to be a great team. The Indianapolis Colts got off to a horrible 3-4 start last year before rattling off 9 straight wins to close out the season. Indianapolis appears on the outside looking in to be primed for 2010. However, the release of Marvin Harrison along with major changes in the coaching staff after Tony Dungy retired and the Colts have a lot of question marks. However, Peyton Manning behind center is all anyone could ask for even when times are tough.

Pick – Indianapolis +160

AFC West

Odds to win the AFC West:
Denver Broncos +350
Kansas City Chiefs +600
Oakland Raiders +800
San Diego Chargers -225

The San Diego Chargers became the first team to enter the playoffs that did not have a winning record last season in nearly two decades. The Charges finished 8-8 on the season, but it was good enough as they held the tie breaker over Denver who was also 8-8. Darren Sproles made a big impact during the playoffs as the speedy running back will get his share of touches with LaDainian Tomlinson. San Diego’s late season success could be a good indication of what to expect in 2010. The Denver Broncos gave up star quarterback Jay Cutler. Does Kyle Orton come in to run the offense? If so we have seen the show before and it did not work out so well in Chicago. The Broncos did add Knowshon Moreno to the roster with the first pick. Moreno could be a solid back with unbelievable lateral quickness, but how much of an immediate impact he will make is the question. Oakland shocked the world by taking Darius Heyward-Bey in the first round over Michael Crabtree. However, the Raiders were going after an immediate big play threat. Heyward-Bey’s speed gives the down field threat on any given play. However, Oakland needs a lot more help to improve from the 16.4 points and 272 yards of offense from 2009 which were both among the worse in the NFL. Kansas City went after a few defensive needs with the draft selecting Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee for the defensive line. The Chiefs defense was flat frightening in all the wrong ways last season so any help has to be a plus. Kansas City still has a lot of question marks all over the field on the offensive side of the ball as well. The Chiefs should win more than two games this year, but perhaps not enough to consider contending for the division crown.

Pick – San Diego -225