3 reasons the New England Patriots can win the AFC East in 2023
Divisional rivals are dealing with a lot of changes this year
Changes can be good and bad for any player or team, of course, and those concluding that all the teams in the AFC East will have a much easier time implementing and overcoming these changes don't seem to realize this fact.
Some of the tweaks the other three teams will deal with in 2023 may become more problematic than beneficial.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills, for starters, are said to be working on Josh Allen running the ball less in hopes of preserving his health and prolonging his career by avoiding a higher risk of injury. That's not a bad idea, in theory, because we know how other mobile quarterbacks' careers have progressed as they aged, so trying to avoid that same fate for Allen makes sense.
However, Buffalo has relied on this aspect of Allen's game a lot over the years, and attempting to dramatically minimize it could wind up being a mistake.
Additionally, last week was filled with drama between the Bills' coaching staff and Diggs after head coach Sean McDermott proclaimed the receiver's absence from minicamp to be "concerning."
His press conference led to confusing conclusions, with details revealing that Diggs had been at practice and even spoken with McDermott before leaving early. More rumors indicated issues between Diggs and the Bills began last season when they exited the playoffs early again, and it appears his displeasure with that result is trickling into this season.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins find themselves in somewhat of a similar situation with Tua Tagovailoa's injury history. The quarterback has reportedly suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season and was said to have dealt with some of the more severe effects of the head trauma.
Although they intend to continue with Tua as their quarterback, it's certainly a situation to monitor, given the seriousness of any head injury. Plus, Mike McDaniel has already dealt with questionable tactics regarding how he dealt with his quarterback's injury last year, like keeping him in a game where he displayed almost every indication of having suffered a concussion.
Besides question marks about Tua's health for the season, McDaniel's influence since becoming Miami's head coach last year hasn't been too exciting, either. The team finished the season with a 9-8 record, making a postseason appearance for the first time since 2016. However, that ended early when they lost to the Bills in the first round.
It was just his first season in Miami, so you can't put too much into how it went to determine the future. But he wasn't all that impressive to most who watched the Dolphins last year.
New York Jets
Then there's the Jets. They've become the frontrunners to win the AFC East and possibly the Super Bowl, all because of Aaron Rodgers. It's pretty silly, actually.
Rodgers is a talented quarterback; there's no denying that. But he is nearing 40 years old and has started to show his age. To appease him since joining the team, the Jets also brought in some of his best buddies from Green Bay, like Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard.
Although New York may feel comfortable with all the changes they've implemented and like their chances to be successful, this is the first time Rodgers has been on any team other than the Packers. Who knows how well he will do in a new environment with new coaches and an entirely new team?
It could work out wonderfully, or it could be a complete disaster. Surely, Rodgers will let the whole world know no matter how it turns out, as he loves to blame others when things go wrong and take all praise for himself when things go well.