Phin Phanatic
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Predicting the AFC East Champion for this upcoming season

By Mathis Gaglione

Oct 31, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) applies pressure to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) on a pass play in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) applies pressure to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) on a pass play in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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AFC East
Josh Allen #17 (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) /

AFC East 2nd place: Buffalo Bills (11-6)

I know, I know, what am I thinking? The Bills have dominated the AFC East for two seasons now and they got even better this off-season. Von Miller was brought in to shore up their pass rush, they selected Kaiir Elam in the 1st round to be their new CB2 opposite of Tre’Davious White, and James Cook was picked in the 2nd to be a versatile weapon for Josh Allen. I get it, the Bills are a great team, there’s no arguing that, but I have a few questions about the team early on in the season, let me explain.

First off, Tre’Davious White is still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered last season. Will he be ready by Week 1? And if so, how effective will he be right away? If he’s not ready for the first few weeks, the Bills are trotting Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson, and Kaiir Elam out on the field as their starting CBs.

Johnson will be pretty solid at the nickel spot, but Jackson, a former 2020 7th-round pick, and new rookie Elam Kaiir will be the starting corners on the boundary. Having two All-Pros behind them in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde will help, but the Bills are putting a lot of stock in these young guys going into the season.

Secondly, Brian Daboll, the former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, was hired by the New York Giants this January. Apparently Bills fans aren’t a huge supporter of Daboll, but I personally think he was one of the best play-callers in the league. Now all of a sudden Ken Dorsey is thrust into the role, while never once calling an NFL play.

Dorsey did play quarterback in the NFL and has been the QB’s coach for the Bills the past couple of seasons, but I wonder if the lack of play-calling experience could hurt the team early in the season. Of course, when you have a specimen like Josh Allen who can make ridiculous off-script plays at any moment, your play calls don’t need to be perfect. But I’ll be interested to see if the Bills’ offense takes a few weeks to kick back into gear.

AFC East
Tyreek Hill #10  (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

Lastly, I’d be a little worried about the age of some of the key producers on my team if I were a Bills fan. One of their key Free Agent pickups, OG Rodger Saffold is about to be 34 years old. Von Miller turned 33 in March and has dealt with a handful of injuries the last few seasons. Outside of Miller, the Bills’ pass rush is very suspect.

Gregory Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, and Boogie Basham need to take another step or their defensive line could turn into an issue. Jordan Poyer just recently turned 31, and Micah Hyde is turning 32 halfway through the season. Many key Bills players are on the wrong side of 30, and that tends to hurt teams in the regular season.

This prediction has a chance to turn out really, really bad, but I’m willing to have a little fun with this. In the end, I have questions about the Bills early on in the season, and the ability of some of their key older players being able to make it through 17 games. It is very possible I turn out to be correct with my concerns, but with the heroics of Josh Allen none of them end up mattering and the Bills claim the AFC East for the third straight year.

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