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Did the power in the AFC East just shift to the Bills?

By Russell S. Baxter

ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills watches a replay of a fumble by Josh Allen that allowed the Bills to retain possession after review during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at New Era Field on September 22, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills watches a replay of a fumble by Josh Allen that allowed the Bills to retain possession after review during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at New Era Field on September 22, 2019 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Bills were a playoff team in 2019. But what about dethroning the New England Patriots in the AFC East now that Tom Brady is moving on?

The Buffalo Bills finished with double digits in the win column this past season for the first time since 1999.

Under head coach Sean McDermott, the franchise has reached the playoffs two of the past three seasons. Second-year quarterback Josh Allen made definitive strides following a rookie campaign which was nothing short of a learning experience. And the club owned a 16-0 second-half lead at Houston in the Wild Card round before things came undone in a 22-19 overtime setback.

Not to damper the progress made, but this is still a franchise that hasn’t won a division title nor a postseason game since 1995 when Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith and head coach Marv Levy were still part of the organization. Of course, a lot of that frustration this century has had to do with that team based in Foxborough.

Since 2001, the only other instances in which a team captured the AFC East other than the New England Patriots were the 2002 New York Jets and 2008 Miami Dolphins.

Last offseason, Bills general manager Brandon Beane rebuilt the offensive line and the unit noticeably improved. So far in March, the emphasis has been on the defense as the club brought in three players that McDermott was familiar from his days in Carolina in cornerback Josh Norman, linebacker A.J. Klein and defensive end Mario Addison.

But on Monday evening, the club obtained wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings for a heavy price. And on Tuesday morning, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady announced that his days with that team are over.

So does that now put the bullseye on McDermott and the Bills?

It makes perfect sense that some would make Buffalo the new favorite in the AFC East. But there are quite a few things to consider. First, the team has to find a way to consistently beat Bill Belichick’s team regardless of who the quarterback is.

The Bills’ current losing streak in this series stands at seven. Dating back to 2000, the Patriots own a stunning 35-5 record against Buffalo. The Bills gave the Pats fits twice in 2019 but were still swept by Belichick’s squad. In fact, McDermott is 0-6 lifetime as a head coach vs. Belichick these past three seasons.

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Logic says that the Patriots are taking a huge hit with Brady’s departure. It’s also worth noting that two key defensive players, linebackers Jamie Collins (Lions) and Kyle Van Noy (Dolphins) are headed elsewhere.

Some may say the Bills may own the better roster at the moment. But you have to crawl before you can walk, and McDermott and Co. need to end their losing ways against the NFL’s biggest winner since 2000 before there’s any shift in power.

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