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The New England Patriots have the same level of talent, and then some to defend their AFC East title next season.
The Patriots finished with a 14-3 record in 2025. New England had a two-game advantage over the Buffalo Bills (12-5) and were much better than the Miami Dolphins (7-10) and the New York Jets (3-14) last season.
It’s to be expected that the battle for the AFC East crown will boil down to the Patriots and the Bills again in 2026. The Dolphins are in the midst of a rebuild, having lost wide receiver Tyreek Hill in free agency and traded away wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. The same is true for the Jets, who have a young team of their own that are not expected to be in the playoff hunt next season.
The Patriots’ schedule comes with its share of challenges. However, New England has a great chance to win at least 11 games next season, with additional favorable matchups outside of the division against the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings on their schedule. The Patriots will fall on the right side of .500 in their remaining 11 games in this projection, finishing with an 11-6 record in 2026.
That won’t be enough to get the edge over the Bills, despite Buffalo having the seventh most difficult strength of schedule next season.
Nevertheless, Buffalo projects to win the AFC East title in 2026 with a 13-4 record, with their only losses coming against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, the Patriots in Week 13 and the Chicago Bears in Week 15.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Will the Patriots repeat as AFC East champs in 2026?
Continue reading...
The Patriots finished with a 14-3 record in 2025. New England had a two-game advantage over the Buffalo Bills (12-5) and were much better than the Miami Dolphins (7-10) and the New York Jets (3-14) last season.
It’s to be expected that the battle for the AFC East crown will boil down to the Patriots and the Bills again in 2026. The Dolphins are in the midst of a rebuild, having lost wide receiver Tyreek Hill in free agency and traded away wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. The same is true for the Jets, who have a young team of their own that are not expected to be in the playoff hunt next season.
The Patriots’ schedule comes with its share of challenges. However, New England has a great chance to win at least 11 games next season, with additional favorable matchups outside of the division against the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings on their schedule. The Patriots will fall on the right side of .500 in their remaining 11 games in this projection, finishing with an 11-6 record in 2026.
That won’t be enough to get the edge over the Bills, despite Buffalo having the seventh most difficult strength of schedule next season.
Nevertheless, Buffalo projects to win the AFC East title in 2026 with a 13-4 record, with their only losses coming against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, the Patriots in Week 13 and the Chicago Bears in Week 15.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Will the Patriots repeat as AFC East champs in 2026?
Continue reading...
