The first division to dominate the NFL after the 1970 NFL-AFL merger was the AFC East. The Baltimore Colts were the first AFC team to play in and win the Super Bowl in 1970. The following year, the Colts and division rival Miami Dolphins met in the AFC championship, the launching pad for Miami’s three straight Super Bowl apperances. Going back to the birth of the AFL in 1960, teams from this division have played in 18 Super Bowls, winning seven of them. The first AFL team to win the Super Bowl was the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.
Curiously, the Jets beat the Colts, who within two years would also be housed in the AFC East following the merger.
Through the 2016 season the New England Patriots had won 19 AFC East titles, followed by the Dolphins with 14, Next come the Buffalo Bills with 10 and finally the Jets with four.
Between 1960-77, when the NFL season consisted of 14 games, only one team posted a perfect regular-season record and that was an AFC club, the 1972 Miami Dophins.
The Dolphins followed up with three playoff triumphs, including a 14-7 Super Bowl VII win over the Washington Redskins, to finish the season with an unblemished 17-0 slate.
Since 1978, when the NFL adopted a 16-game regular-season schedule, just one team posted a perfect campaign and that was an AFC East club, the 2007 New England Patriots. But the Patriots couldn’t complete the journey and fell 17-14 to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII to finish the season 18-1.
Best AFC East Sportsbook Odds
You’ll find below the best game odds for upcoming AFC East games. Make sure to reference all the bet types and online sportsbooks at your disposal to make the best choice.
What Are The AFC East Standings Today
This is where you will find the up to date AFC East standings and you can be almost certain that there will a Super Bowl contender emerging each season from this group.
How To Make Money Betting On AFC East
In the history of Super Bowl, there's only been one gap in length of more than four years where an AFC East team did not play in the big game, a seven-year skid between 1975-82. Twice in Super Bowl history, the AFC representative has come from the AFC East in four successive years.
All four AFC East teams have played in the Super Bowl and three of them have won - the New England Patriots (four), Miami Dolphins (two) and New York Jets (one). The Buffalo Bills have never won the Super Bowl, but hold the Super Bowl record with the most consecutive appearances of four.
It's been a long drought for two of the AFC East's Super Bowl winners. The Jets won their lone title in Super Bowl III, while the Dolphins last won it all in Super Bowl VIII.
The Buffalo Bills are the only AFC East team that has been an ever-present presence in the division with their current handle since it originally began as the AFL East in 1960.
The Bills were also the first team in the division with a chance to go to the Super Bowl, losing the 1966 AFL title game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The New England Patriots were born as the Boston Patriots, while the New York Jets began their life as the New York Titans. The Miami Dolphins entered the division as an expansion team in 1966.
Although they undergo what seems to be persistent roster upheaval, any thought the the era of the New England Patriots is about to come to an end would be pure folly. The Patriots' personnel department always seem to find new players to fill in any voids and while the gap may be closing between the Patriots and the rest of the AFC East, the reality is that there is still a gap in place and the Patriots remain the team to beat.
The squad that's closest to getting there would appear to be the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have been steadily, albeit very slowly improving over the past few years and could finallly be rewarded with a playoff spot this season, something that Buffalo hasn't experienced since 1999.
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