For the first time in a while, the AFC East picture has Buffalo fans looking at a familiar kind of forecast: the Bills back on top.
That’s a sharp turn from where the division sat from 2020-2024, when Buffalo ruled the AFC East after the New England Patriots spent nearly two decades in charge. Once Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay, the Patriots’ grip loosened, and the Bills stepped in to own the division.
Last season, though, the script flipped. Buffalo put together an uneven year, while the Patriots benefited from one of the league’s softest schedules and reclaimed the division. New England also reached the Super Bowl before getting blown out by the Seattle Seahawks.
Now the Patriots enter this season as the defending AFC East champs, but Buffalo is again positioned to push for the crown after a busy offseason makeover.
The Bills head into the year with a new coaching staff, a new head coach, and a defense built around a completely different scheme. That kind of overhaul usually comes with tempered expectations. Not this time.
Bills Mafia has seen enough to know the ceiling still feels high. Sean McDermott wasn’t able to clear the playoff hurdles, but his run as Bills head coach was still a strong one. And Joe Brady, as the new man in charge, doesn’t have much margin for regression.
That’s part of why Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report has Buffalo as the only AFC East team he projects to reach the postseason.
Gagnon’s read leans heavily on the problems facing New England, while also pointing to the state of the Jets and Dolphins.
" This is really an indictment of the Patriots' outlook: They are primed for a post-Super Bowl hangover after a distracting offseason and now face an uphill battle with a target on their back in 2026." said Gagnon.
" That said, New England is still better off than the rebuilding Dolphins or a Jets team that has plenty of pieces in place but will be relying on a post-prime turnover machine as a bridge quarterback. Those teams lost a combined 24 games in 2025 and should be expected to join the Pats on the golf course come the middle of January." Gagnon added.
Buffalo’s road won’t be easy, especially early. The Texans, Lions, Chargers, Patriots, and Rams are waiting in the opening stretch, and that’s a brutal way to start a season. Still, the Bills have kept enough of their core together to give this group a real base to work from despite all the offseason change.
They gave a first glimpse of that in last Saturday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. The starters only played two drives, so nobody’s hanging a banner for what happened in August, but the Bills did show enough to leave a better impression about what could be coming.
For now, the AFC East looks like a division Buffalo can realistically take back. The season will decide it, but the setup has Bills fans feeling like this could be theirs again.
In Other News...
Bills Fans Already Face A New Stadium Access Problem
The move to the new Highmark Stadium is already changing the way Bills fans will experience game days. Individual home-game tickets are hard to come by, and the ones that do pop up are going for more than what season ticket holders pay, which is a sharp turn from the kind of last-minute planning many fans are used to. For plenty of people who have long treated Orchard Park as a place you could still reach on short notice, the new setup looks far less forgiving.
Most of the available tickets are expected to come through the secondary market, which makes spontaneous attendance much tougher and adds another layer to an already high-demand environment. The Bills are also leaning into the buzz around the new building by offering behind-the-scenes tours, a sign that interest in the stadium itself is becoming part of the experience. What remains to be seen is how many fans will be able to get inside on their own terms once the novelty wears off. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Needs More From Dalton Kincaid Than Ever
Dalton Kincaid enters the 2026 season in a familiar spot for the Bills: full of promise, but still needing to turn flashes into something steadier. Buffalo has already committed to him by picking up his fifth-year contract option, and the timing matters with Joe Brady now taking over as head coach after previously running the offense. Brady knows exactly what Kincaid can bring when he is healthy, and the next step is getting more of it on a weekly basis.
Josh Allens recent praise of their connection during joint practices only adds to the sense that Kincaids role is about to matter even more. The chemistry is there, or at least trending in the right direction, and the Bills have spent enough time waiting for Kincaid to stay on the field and become the kind of mismatch he was drafted to be. What remains is the part Buffalo has been chasing from him since day one, the kind of dependable production that could make this offense look very different if it shows up when the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Became Part Of A Browns QB Decision To Watch
A joint practice in Buffalo gave the Browns another look at their quarterback situation, and it did not exactly produce a clean answer. Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson both had mixed throws during the session, leaving the battle for the Browns starting job still very much in view as the preseason gets moving.
Watson has reportedly held the edge in the competition, but Sanders is set to start the upcoming preseason game, which should give Cleveland another data point before the real decision gets made. Browns coach Todd Monken has suggested veteran starters may sit out that game, and the Week 1 quarterback choice could come shortly after, keeping the Bills tied to one of the AFCs more closely watched camp stories. [Read more 🡒]