For the better part of two decades, it has felt like at the start of every year for the Buffalo Bills it was a foregone conclusion that the New England Patriots would win the division and the remaining three teams were playing for second place and hopefully a Wild Card spot.
It wasn’t hard for fans to believe this considering the Patriots won six Super Bowls since 2001 and 17 AFC East titles. The only years they didn’t was 2002 (New York Jets) and 2008 (Miami Dolphins). When one team runs away with a division year after year, it not only impacts the competitiveness between those two teams but also has an impact on the rivalries within the division.