The New England Patriots have dominated their division during the days of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, but when the latter left in free agency last offseason their streak of AFC East titles came to an end. After winning it each of the last 11 seasons and 17 times since 2001, the Patriots struggled to a 7-9 record in 2020.
Succeeding them as division champions were the Buffalo Bills, who established themselves as one of the better teams in football en route to a 13-3 record and berth in the AFC title game. The Miami Dolphins also managed to leapfrog the Patriots in the standings, finishing out of the playoffs but a respectable 10-6.