Miami Dolphins
The ‘Phins come into 2024 hungry to prove themselves after a disappointing end to last season. Despite being in control of the AFC East for much of the year, the team ended 2-3 in their last five games and saw Buffalo take the division. In the playoffs, they were bounced easily on a cold day in Kansas City. Despite the tough finish, many people remain optimistic about the Dolphins in 2024, including us. The offence is very similar to last year’s, and the competition in the AFC East may have gotten slightly easier too with Buffalo losing a few key players.
For the Dolphins to grab their first division title since 2008, the offence will have to be what it was last year. Mike McDaniel is a great football mind, and in 2023, this unit gained more yardage than any other team in the league. Questions have surrounded QB Tua Tagovailoa his entire career, but his ability to get the ball off quickly works with the talent he has around him. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are two of the fastest receivers in the league, while McDaniels also does a great job of finding ways to get the ball into the hands of his talented running backs.
With their explosive offence and good-enough defence, we think this is the year Miami finally takes the AFC East. Whether that actually translates to any playoff success, though, is still very much up in the air.
Prediction: 12-5
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo may have lost some players in the offseason, but they’ve still got Josh Allen. Having one of the league’s premier signal callers were certainly keep you in games you otherwise wouldn’t be in, but for Buffalo to be a true contender with this new Stefon Diggs-less roster, Allen and the Bills will need to make some changes.
Firstly, I expect to see more of James Cook this season. Cook was great for the Bills at running back last year, and with Diggs gone and a new receiver group figuring things out, the familiarity with Cook might be something Allen relies on early in the year. Also, Josh could probably do well with a little less on his shoulders anyways. Despite being one of the league’s best QBs, Allen has been forced to do a lot for the Bills in recent years and has turned the ball over more than anyone else in the past two seasons. Simplification might be a good thing for this offence.
Defensively, the Bills lost Jordan Poyer, Tre White, and Leonard Floyd. The players were aging, but this change of the guard in the secondary specifically represents a new era for the Bills’ defence. It may not be enough to get to the Super Bowl this year, but this is still a talented roster that should be in the playoff hunt all season long.
Prediction: 10-7
Ney York Jets
It’s tough to put all your hope on the shoulders of one 40-year-old QB, but that’s exactly what the Jets are doing again in 2024. After a nightmare start to Aaron Rodgers’ time in New York last year, the Hall of Famer is once again healthy and ready to lead the young Jets to places many of them have not been in their careers.
Outside of Rodgers, the rest of this roster is ready to start winning games as well. Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson are two of the best young players at their respective divisions, the offensive line has been shored up, and the defence as a whole will once again be one of the better units in the NFL. Rodgers may not be what he once was, but the IQ and the accuracy are two things that should still be there. With the amount of talent the rest of the team has, that should be good enough to win some football games this year.
Like a lot of teams in the AFC, the Jets are in a tough spot. The AFC East Division is no joke, but the conference as a whole is extremely competitive as well. However, if Rodgers can stay healthy, I do believe that this team should be right in the mix all season long.
Prediction: 10-7
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick is finally out in New England, but this organization hasn’t been the one we got used to watching in the 2000s for some time now. The days of dominance are long gone, and now, it’s Drake Maye’s turn to try and turn this team back around. Unfortunately for the 2024 3rd overall pick, the talent around him might not make it too easy to do so. New England has one of the worst receiver groups in the league, and although Rhamondre Stevenson is a solid running back, he’s not the type of guy that’s going to win games by himself.
The Pats are better defensively, but being average with a bottom three offence isn’t good enough to win football games. Unless Drake Maye can step into the role as starting quarterback and excel from day one, I expect another trying year in New England. Their division is one of the toughest in the league, and it’s tough to imagine them winning many games this season.
Prediction: 3-14
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