Patriots and Bills Are Chasing the Super Bowl, While Jets and Dolphins Try to Bounce Back

The New England Patriots are back on top of the AFC East, and everyone else in the division is chasing them. After years of the Buffalo Bills winning the division, the Patriots made a Super Bowl run last season behind young quarterback Drake Maye. Now both the Patriots and the Bills have their eyes on the championship, while the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are working hard just to become competitive again.

Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones summed up New England's new role perfectly. 'We are the team that's being hunted,' he said. 'And we have to wear that chip on our shoulder every time that we get out there.' Head coach Mike Vrabel's team is seen as one of the top contenders in the entire AFC, not just the division.

The Bills have been strong for many years, but they could never reach the Super Bowl. After six straight years of falling short in the playoffs, Buffalo fired coach Sean McDermott. The team promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who is only 36 years old, making him the youngest head coach in the NFL. His job is clear — win the Super Bowl or face serious questions about the team's future.

Buffalo's star quarterback Josh Allen is 30 years old and playing some of the best football of his career. The Bills also added wide receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears to give Allen another big-play target. The defense has question marks, with at least five new starters joining first-time coordinator Jim Leonhard. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson made the team's goal simple: 'Championships and winning. We're too good of a team to fall short.'

For the Patriots, Drake Maye took a huge step forward last season. He threw for 4,394 yards, tossed 31 touchdown passes, and completed 72 percent of his throws, finishing second in MVP voting. In the offseason, New England traded for star wide receiver A.J. Brown from Philadelphia, giving Maye an even better weapon. Still, linebacker Robert Spillane reminded everyone that nothing is guaranteed: 'It's a brand new team, and we're going to have to learn how to cook together.'

The Jets are trying to end a 15-year streak of missing the playoffs, the longest active drought in the NFL. Coach Aaron Glenn overhauled his coaching staff after a tough 3-14 first season and brought in quarterback Geno Smith, who actually began his NFL career with the Jets in 2013. New York also used the second overall draft pick on edge rusher David Bailey to help improve their pass rush. Glenn says the team is still building, but likes where things are headed.

The Dolphins had a major makeover in the offseason, replacing their general manager, head coach, and starting quarterback all at once. Star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are also gone, and the roster is now mostly made up of young players in their first or second NFL season. New coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan are counting on former Green Bay backup Malik Willis to lead the offense. Running back De'Von Achane, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, and center Aaron Brewer signed contract extensions and are expected to be key building blocks. The predicted order of finish in the AFC East is: Bills first, Patriots second, Jets third, and Dolphins fourth.