New England Patriots Still Favored To Win AFC East Without Tom Brady In 2020

No Tom Brady, no problem. The New England Patriots are still considered to be the class of the division, even after losing the greatest quarterback of all time.

New England is the betting favorite to win the AFC East in the 2020 NFL season. DraftKings Sportsbook gives the Patriots +100 odds to finish in first place. The Buffalo Bills (+160) are their biggest competition, coming off a wild-card berth last season.

The New York Jets (+750) and Miami Dolphins (+900) are both long shots in the AFC East.

The Patriots have been the most dominant team in any division in any professional sport. New England has won 11 consecutive AFC East titles and 16 division championships in the last 17 years.

Only when Brady suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2008 season did the Patriots fail to win the AFC East. New England still went 11-5 that year with Matt Cassel getting 15 starts under center.

The Patriots last won fewer than 10 games in 2002. Head coach Bill Belichick has led the team to 13 AFC Championship appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl titles.

With a 12-4 record in 2019, New England won the AFC East by two games and tied for the second-best record in the conference. The Patriots entered the playoffs as the No.3 seed, upset at home by the Tennessee Titans in the wild-card round.

Brady put up less than stellar numbers with 24 touchdowns and 6.6 yards per attempt. He completed 60.7% of his passes with an 88.0 passer rating. The quarterback didn’t finish better than 13th in any of those categories.

Second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is the favorite to become Brady’s replacement. Brian Hoyer and Cody Kessler are also on the roster. It’s possible, though not necessarily likely, that the Patriots could acquire a veteran quarterback like Andy Dalton, Cam Newton or Jameis Winston.

New England had the NFL’s best defense last season, ranking first in points allowed, yards allowed and yards allowed per play. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Buffalo finished third in total defense and second in yards allowed. The Bills made one of the offseason’s biggest acquisitions, trading for receiver Stefon Diggs.

FanDuel Sportsbook has made the Bills and Patriots co-favorites in the AFC East.