Every season, 28 other fanbases deride the New England Patriots for the inherent advantage of residing in the AFC East. The Patriots, winners of the division in 16 of the past 18 seasons – including 10 consecutive now – often make their division-mates look like cannon fodder while taking their annual march to the playoffs.
All three teams have had ups and downs over the past two decades. Occasionally, the Patriots’ rivals have come close to usurping the throne:
Drew Bledsoe and the Bills looked ready to make a run in the mid-2000s;
Ditto the Wildcat-focused Miami Dolphins of the Tony Sparano era at the end of the 2000s;
Rex Ryan and the Jets of 2010 made the best run of any team, knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs and even making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game.