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