Bills Top AFC East Odds

September 01, 2021 - Brenden Deeg

After decades of seeing New England at the top of AFC East odds lists, we commence Year 2 of the Buffalo Bills sitting as prohibitive divisional faves.

The Bills return the core of their successful 2020 roster and add some pieces that should stretch their lead atop the division. The Jets are still the Jets, while Miami and the aforementioned Pats are interesting value picks if you don’t trust the Bills with your money.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of Aug. 28, 2021, check the site for current odds and bonus offers.

Buffalo Bills -150

The Buffalo Bills had 11 players log at least 500 snaps on offense last season. Ten of those players are back. The Bills front office did a great job keeping the core of last year’s team and adding some exciting pieces.

Emmanuel Sanders has replaced John Brown, which is an upgrade considering Sanders can play all around the offense. On the defensive side of the ball, development from A.J Epenesa and Ed Oliver could bring this defense to the next level. They also drafted Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham in the first and second rounds of the draft.

And let’s not forget they still have Josh Allen. Even if his passing stats take a dip, his size and athleticism will keep him in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in this league. Expect him to continue to play at a high level.

Miami Dolphins +330

Tua Tagavailoa completed 64.1 percent of his passes last season in his nine starts. However, he averaged only 6.4 yards per attempt. Out of all eligible quarterbacks, only Ben Roethlisberger had a lower average at 6.3.

The Dolphins front office knew this offense needed to get more explosive, and they did just that. They drafted Jaylen Waddle in the first round and signed Will Fuller, who will bring a dynamic to this offense that the Dolphins did not have last season.

New England Patriots +360

Bill Belichick spent $159.6 million in the first nine days of free agency this offseason. The Patriots completely overhauled their roster after finishing a disappointing 7-9.

The quarterback position is still up in the air. Mac Jones has looked good in training camp, but it looks like Cam Newton will start Week 1. Expect a very similar style offense from last year, emphasizing Newtons running ability.

The Patriots added Jalen Mills, Matt Judon, and Kyle Van Noy on the defensive side of the ball. With a healthy Stephon Gilmore, this defense could be back in the top ten.

New York Jets +1600

The Jets had the 31st ranked offense last season, according to Football Outsiders. A new era of football begins in New York, as Robert Saleh and Zach Wilson will bring excitement to the Jets organization.

The Carl Lawson injury is enormous. They also lost Vinny Curry for the season, completely depleting their pass rush. The Jets arguably have the worst cornerback room in the NFL, which will make it hard to stop the pass, considering they will struggle to get after the quarterback. Jets fans should look ahead to 2022.

AFC East Best Bet

The Patriots and Dolphins have juice in the +300 range, but hammering the Bills at -150 is the play. The Bills won’t skip a beat this season, but this division should be much more competitive.

AFC East Betting Odds Preview archived article, Sept. 8, 2020 Brad Gagnon

It’s been a while since the odds to win the AFC East started the year without the New England Patriots at the top. But there you have it – the Buffalo Bills at +120. We break down divisional odds in the more-competitive-than-ever AFC East at FanDuel and Draft Kings.

Buffalo Bills (+120)

The Bills haven’t won this division since 1995 but are well-positioned following their first double-digit-win season of the century. Quarterback Josh Allen has sky-high potential and he now has star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to work with. In fact, it’s hard to find a weak spot on this roster. Still, there’s a lot of room for a lot to go wrong and it wouldn’t be shocking if they fell on their face again.

New England Patriots (+130)

The Bills lead the way mainly because the Patriots have been gutted by the departures of Tom Brady, Jamie Collins Sr., Kyle Van Noy and COVID-19 opt-out decisions from Dont’a Hightower and Marcus Cannon. And this is a team that went 4-5 to finish the 2019 campaign. It’s ridiculous that they’re still nearly favored to win the East.

Dolphins a good bet at 8-1?

Miami Dolphins (+800)

The well-coached, admirable Miami Dolphins somehow won five games despite a considerable scarcity of talent last year. They’re a lot better on paper this season but it’s still hard to envision Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co. making a run at a division crown. This is a team that was outscored by 188 points in 2019.

New York Jets (+850)

The New York Jets aren’t getting enough credit. The offense has impressive talent at multiple key spots and this division is so soft that they could stick around. These odds don’t give enough respect to quarterback Sam Darnold’s potential, as well as the possibility that a rejuvenated Le’Veon Bell could do serious damage. Keep in mind Gang Green went 6-2 during the second half of the 2019 campaign.

Predicted winner: Buffalo — by default, to a degree. The Dolphins and Jets aren’t ready and the Pats are headed in the wrong direction.

Where the AFC East odds value’s at: New York — +850 is pretty sweet for a team that has a high ceiling with Darnold, Bell and a bolstered offensive line. It’s just too bad they’ll be without C.J. Mosley and Jamal Adams on defense, but there’s still some muscle to be flexed there with Quinnen Williams, Henry Anderson and Avery Williamson. You never know. Worth the flier.

Don’t touch with a 10-foot pole: New England — Again, the Patriots were bad during the second half last year, and now they’re much worse on paper. The only reason they’re attached to sub-+200 odds is Bill Belichick and their history. While they can never be counted out because Belichick is Belichick, there’s little reason to take the bait at +130.