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2018-19 AFC East preview

Roar Guru
14th August, 2018
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Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Roar Guru
14th August, 2018
4

With the 2018-19 NFL season right around the corner, I will preview the AFC East – a division that is almost certainly guaranteed to be won by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots each and every year.

New England Patriots

This current Patriots outfit has won everything there is to win in football, and as no surprise, they will again challenge for the AFC title in season 2018.

Quarterback Tom Brady will be 41 years old when the season starts, but he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down.

They will again be tough to beat on the road to Super Bowl 53.

Coach Bill Belichick has opted to bring in wide receiver Eric Decker from the Tennessee Titans, helping to bolster Brady’s target options alongside veteran Chris Hogan.

The Patriots have never had problems scoring points, but their defence has lacked spark in recent years.

Last season, they were ranked 31st against the run defence which was second last in the league for those playing at home.

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They have added some quality players in former Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton and former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Both of these men will bring experience and skill to a leaky defence.

Crucial player
Tight end Rob Gronkowski. Last season, Gronk passed the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the fourth time in his career and became only the third tight end to do so behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

He is a leader of men and will have a huge impact on this side, on and off the field.

Keep an eye on
Wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman will miss the opening four games of the season due to performance-enhancing drugs. Once he returns, look for him to be a key player in the Pats’ offense.

Personnel changes
Along with the above-mentioned defensive changes, the Patriots used their first-round draft pick to take the University of Georgia running Back Sony Michel. The former Bulldog will add plenty of talent to an already explosive offense.

Predicted finish
14-2 – division champions.

This team is once again capable of going all the way and should easily win their division.

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The playoffs will be another challenge though. They have improved in all the right places, but the league has actually gotten stronger. In fact, I don’t see them making the Super Bowl this year for the first time in two years.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills made the playoffs last season for the first time in 18 years and this season will be the second time in 19.

They have spent years building a team and changing the culture of the franchise, ensuring that everyone plays for each other and leaves everything on the field.

On offense, they drafted quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick. It looks as though he will wait in the wings while former Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron gets the first crack at running the offense.

It won’t be long before we see Allen running the offence in a Bills jersey.

However, they do lack some offensive weapons. There are no big names on the squad which is what coach Sean McDermott wants.

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He wants them to play as a unit, to play hard for each other and not let big heads run the team.

On the defensive side of the ball, they are stacked with talent. Names like, Micah Hyde, Vontae Davis and Tre’davious White will send chills down the spines of offensive players across the league.

They can match it with the best of them and will need to make up for a short fall in offensive talent.

Having said this, the Bills will win a lot more games this season than last and will push for a wildcard berth in January.

Buffalo Bills player catching football

(Erik Drost / CC BY 2.0)

Crucial player
Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

A fit and healthy Benjamin is a scary prospect for any defence to handle. He looks to be back to his playing best during training camps and will be hard to stop in 2018.

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Keep an eye on
Quarterback Josh Allen.

It’s only a matter of time before the Bills throw Allen into the mix. Simply put, this kid can play football.

The Wyoming product is known for having one of the best arms in college football and will take this Bills franchise to weathering heights.

Personnel changes
Buffalo just traded the Cleveland Browns a future draft pick for wide receiver Corey Coleman last week.

Predicted finish
11-5. Wildcard berth.

The Bills will have another stellar season in 2018. Look for them to push the Patriots all the way in their home and away clashes. Expect Bills Mafia to smash plenty of flaming table this season.

Miami Dolphins

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It is going to be a long year for the Dolphins.

Anyone with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback isn’t going to have a great season. To make matter worse, his backup/understudy is Brock Osweiler.

They lost wide receiver Jarvis Landry in the offseason and have replaced him with a great player in Danny Amendola.

Amendola will command a bevvy of targets and will strike a spark into a weak offensive line. But it won’t be enough for them to threaten anyone of note this season.

Kenny Stills will share the load with Amendola, which will make for an interesting contest at training camp.

On the defensive side of the field, they ranked 26th last season in all categories, leaking an average of 24.5 points per game, and will struggle again.

Expect the two safeties, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Reshad Jones to have their work cut out for them when the corners miss their man.

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Crucial player
Ryan Tannehill – Now entering his seventh year with the Miami Dolphins, its time for him to shine. Otherwise, he needs to move on and give someone else a crack at running this franchise.

Keep an eye on
Running back Frank Gore.

The workhorse of the NFL, Gore hasn’t aged a day in the last decade and is continuing to be a threat long into his thirties.

He currently sits on 14,026 yards all time. Expect him to break the 15,000 mark in his 14th season.

Personnel changes
Dowell Loggains will take over as the new offensive coordinator for the Dolphins and will bring a new focus with him.

Predicted finish
2-14.

Its going to be another long year for Dolphin fans.

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New York Jets

Having draft USC Trojans Quarterback Sam Darnold with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, it looks as if they will stick with incumbent quarterback Josh McCown to start the season.

Don’t worry Jets’ fans, it will only be a matter of weeks before we see the future of your franchise in green and white.

Expect a running back by committee this season with Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and former Seattle Seahawks’ player Thomas Rawls to share the workload.

As for wideouts Robbie Anderson, Jermaine Kearse and Terrelle Pryor – they will find themselves with most of the targets.

The Jets defence was sixth overall last season, averaging only 15.2 points against per game. This doesn’t help you when your offense can only score ten.

They need to improve all over the park if they are to be a threat in 2018.

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Crucial player
Sam Darnold. The sooner they introduce the new marquee man to the field, the better.

They have struggled to score points for years and this is the answer – let him play.

Keep an eye on
The whole defensive line. These guys can put on a solid display week in week out and they are great to watch. They just need the offense to step up to match them.

Personnel changes
Jeremy Bates and Rick Dennison will take over as offensive coordinators after Steve Marshall was sacked in January.

Predicted finish
1-15.

It’s going to hurt for the Jets fans this season. If Darnold plays early in the season, more games can be won.

Good luck.

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