The Patriots go into the 2026 NFL season as the underdogs for the AFC East title again, despite coming off a season that ended with 14 wins, a second-seed playoff spot, and a Super Bowl appearance.
That's because the Bills continue to get the confidence from most analysts and fans, and after their offseason additions, most notably wide receiver D.J. Moore, plus their new coaching staff, there is a lot of hope that Josh Allen will finally lead his team to the promised land in his 9th season.
It's not exactly surprising that the Patriots are being overlooked, as they almost always were, even when Bill Belichick was their head coach and Tom Brady was under center. But after the shockingly impressive season they accomplished in 2025, you'd think there would be a bit more support.
The lack of belief would be a bit more understandable if Buffalo pulled off another massive trade, particularly on offense, as Justin Carter of FanSided.com proposes, but it's increasingly unlikely we'll see that any time soon, and that's something the Patriots will need to hope is accurate.
Otherwise, they might be facing a much tougher road back to the divisional crown than anyone expected.
The Bills would almost surely lock up the AFC East if they pulled off this big-time trade
While proposing some big trades the expected division favorite needs to make before the season starts, Carter suggests that the Bills get on the phone with the Panthers about wide receiver Xavier Legette.
He cites Legette's failure to become the kind of weapon Carolina hoped for since he was drafted two years ago as a reason for the Bills' interest, since the potential is clearly there as a former first-rounder.
On top of that, he's a deep threat receiver who would cater to the style of quarterback that Josh Allen is, and would immediately fill the void within the receiving corps for the upcoming season. And better yet, they'd only have to send a fourth-round pick to get the trade done.
This would be an absolute disaster for the Patriots, because giving Allen a player like Legette at just 25 years old and a lot of potential just months after acquiring Moore, who some would argue is a top receiver in the league, would surely give their defense major problems for years to come.
The AFC East crown is almost certainly going to come down to how these two teams match up, and from what we saw last season, it's going to be close.
They split the season in 2025, stealing wins on each other's soil, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if the same thing happened this fall. But that could easily not be the case for the Patriots if the Bills manage to give Allen another capable weapon to work with, making their defense work even harder to slow them down.
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