New England Patriots remain supreme in AFC East power rankings

With the New England Patriots being close to a lock, could three teams in the AFC East make the playoffs in 2017?

The AFC East was one of the NFL’s most exciting divisions in 2016. The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins both earned playoff berths, while the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills fielded seven Pro Bowlers.

As the offseason chugs along, all four teams face different challenges. For the Patriots, it’s how to return to the Super Bowl, for the Dolphins, it’s how to get back to the postseason. In Buffalo, it’s finding the formula for a playoff run, in New York, it’s rebuilding their roster.

Despite their long run of losing seasons, Miami and Buffalo have done a good job of remodeling their coaching staffs. Adam Gase got the Dolphins to the postseason in his first year as head coach, and the Bills have moved on from Rex Ryan. The Patriots aren’t going to shimmy from the top of the division anytime soon but their competition has definitely increased.

New York’s search for their franchise quarterback will likely continue through the upcoming season. With the variety of quarterbacks available in next year’s draft, the Jets look as if they have already thrown in the towel on 2017.

As for now, let’s take a look at how the AFC East stacks with training camp only a month away.