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The Buffalo Bills are undoubtedly one of the top teams in the entire NFL in the first half of this decade, though playing in the AFC East division has greatly benefited them throughout this time.
The team, led by the current MVP Josh Allen, doesn't just rely on his skills and smart decision-making. It could be said that the group of teams they regularly compete against aren't exactly "competitive."
The AFC East benefits the Bills
This perspective was shared in a post on the social media platform "X" by NFL analyst Warren Sharp, who outlined the best and worst divisions in the NFL since 2020. The most interesting aspect of his analysis is that he used the win percentage in games outside the division to measure each division's strength.
The AFC East, the division where the Bills reside, ranks sixth out of the NFL's eight divisions, with an overall record of 106-109 (a .493 win percentage), only ahead of the NFC South (.417) and the AFC South (.361).
Proof of the Bills' dominance-and the advantage provided by their less competitive division-is their five consecutive AFC East titles.
Since 2020, there have only been three instances where teams other than Buffalo reached the playoffs from this division: the Patriots in 2021 and the Dolphins in 2022 and 2023. The Bills faced their divisional rivals in two of those three postseasons, delivering a thrashing to the New England Patriots in the 2021 wild-card round and defeating the Miami Dolphins in the same round in 2022.
Having the league's MVP, Josh Allen, and his immense talent as a quarterback certainly helps. Allen has earned three Pro Bowl selections and been named to the second-team All-Pro twice. Meanwhile, the Patriots have struggled to replace Tom Brady, the Dolphins have grappled with Tua Tagovailoa's inconsistent health, and the Jets... well, they've continued to be the Jets, failing to reach the playoffs since the 2010 season.
It's clear that the AFC East hasn't been the most competitive division, but let's hope Josh Allen and the Bills can capitalize on this advantage, much like Tom Brady and the Patriots did in their era, to lead the team to their first Super Bowl victory.