2015 AFC East Betting Odds And Preview

Don't be surprised to see Bill Belichick turn the "Deflategate" controversy into a motivator for his Patriots.


The New England Patriots are still the class of the AFC East, but the margin is getting tighter.

Miami, Buffalo and the New York Jets all made splashy off-season moves, and the Pats look like they’ll be without Tom Brady to start the season. But where does the value in the AFC East betting odds lie?

Let’s look a little deeper.

New England

Much has been made of the Tom Brady suspension (whether it remains four games, we’ll see), but New England should be able to survive without him to start the year. Let’s not forget the Pats are still favoured over Pittsburgh in the season opener, even with Brady expected to miss the game.

New England’s defence remains under-rated, and the Pats are playing with a chip on their shoulder as all their critics think they’re cheaters.

With Super Bowl success comes a tougher schedule, and the Patriots will have to visit the Cowboys, Colts, Giants and Broncos this year. New England’s home schedule is much easier, as they’ll welcome the Steelers, Jaguars, Redskins, Eagles and Titans to Foxborough. With a pretty good chance New England runs the table at home this year, we think -150 or less might actually be a bargain on the Pats to win the AFC East.

Miami

The Dolphins are the sexy pick to challenge New England for first in the AFC East, especially after adding some big names on both sides of the ball.

Miami’s biggest move was signing ‘The Stomper’, Ndamukong Suh, who should help the Dolphins stuff the run and could also open up opportunities for pass rushers Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake. The Dolphins are also better in their own passing game, adding WR Kenny Stills and TE Jordan Cameron.

Miami can’t complain about its schedule at all. Its road games include visits to the Redskins, Jaguars and Titans, and it will get to play its toughest non-division opponents at home (Cowboys, Ravens, Giants and Colts). If the Fish can at least split their two games against New England and win 3 of 4 versus the Bills and Jets, Miami could challenge for the division title until the end of the year.

Buffalo

There’s a lot more swagger in Buffalo this year as The Mouth That Roared, Rex Ryan, takes over as Bills head coach. Ryan gives the Bills a lot of inside info on his former team, the Jets, and also has a history of making things tough on Belichick and the Patriots.

The addition of LeSean McCoy gives Buffalo a ton of depth at running back, while their receivers are also decent. The Bills should have one of the best defences in the NFL once again this year. But the big question is at the most important position, quarterback, where it looks like Matt Cassell might get the opening-day job.

Buffalo’s off-season improvement will be tested right away as the Bills open with games against the Colts, Patriots, Dolphins and Giants. The schedule then gets a bit easier, with games versus the Titans, Jaguars, Texans and Redskins later in the year. Buffalo at 4:1 odds or higher to win the division is tempting, but the Bills have disappointed before and we’re not sure we can trust them not to disappoint again.

NY Jets

New York’s made big changes this year after an awful 2014 campaign, hiring a new head coach and GM. But the cupboard is pretty bare, and it looks like it will be a few years before the Jets are back in the mix for the AFC East championship.

Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick are the Jets’ options at QB, and neither of them screams division winner to us. Brandon Marshall is a stud addition at WR, but who’s going to get him the ball? New York has an aging offensive line and an average core of running backs, though the Jets do have potential on defence and should at least be able to be competitive most days.

The Jets’ home schedule isn’t too bad, including games against the Browns, Jaguars, Redskins and Titans. However, their road slate is very tough, with late-season visits to the Giants and Cowboys on top of an early trip to Indianapolis. Add this schedule to six tough games within the division, and we don’t see the Jets getting out of the basement this year.

2015 AFC East Betting Odds At William Hill

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