AFC East: Breaking Down Each Team and Their Chance to Win the Division

The AFC East division is one of the top divisions in the NFL almost every year. With three competitive teams out of four, you can see why.

The New England Patriots have won the division eight of the last 10 seasons, with the Jets and Dolphins winning one each the other two years. The Buffalo Bills haven't won the division since 1995.

With three competitive teams and one up and coming, the AFC East race should be a tight one.

Here is your breakdown of the 2011 AFC East division.

Buffalo Bills

Drafting Marcell Dareus will definitely help a brutal defensive line that gave up an average of 169 rushing yards a game which was worst in the league. The Bills did not pick up a quarterback in the draft, but Ryan Fitzpatrick did show some potential last year to where he can lead the Bills again this season.

Running back C.J. Spiller is expected to get more touches this season and help take some of the workload off Fred Jackson.

Overall, the Bills have a very tough schedule and could fall somewhere near the four-win total they reached last season. The best thing Buffalo could do is finish last and earn the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft to select Stanford's quarterback Andrew Luck.

The Bills chance to win the AFC East - Crazier things have happened, but bottom line is a .500 season would be a success for this team.

Miami Dolphins

The offensive line is shaping up to be a lot better than last year's with the addition of Mike Pouncey. Which means the running game will be a lot better than last year's. Which means less pressure on Chad Henne to make more plays for the offense to succeed.

Defensively, they have the players and the defensive coordinator to be at least a top five defense in this league. The Dolphins are deep at the cornerback position and on the defensive line. The linebacker core is solid and will be even better if Koa Misi can improve on a subpar rookie season. The defense was great last season and kept Miami in games they shouldn't have been in and should be even better with another season under defensive guru Mike Nolan.

Besides the two division opponents in the Jets and Patriots, the Dolphins play seven other playoff-caliber teams. Not an easy schedule this year.

Chances Dolphins win the AFC East - With a couple breaks, they could squeeze into a wild card spot, but winning the division is something completely different. This team is still another year and a quarterback away from being that competitive.

New York Jets

The New York Jets improved from 9-7 to 11-5 last season and was once again, a game away from the Super Bowl. This team will continue to live and die by their defense, and for the most part, should live. This defense is one of the best in the NFL.

With the addition of Muhammad Wilkerson and Kenrick Ellis, they should continue to pressure the quarterback and build on the solid 40 sacks they had last season. With Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis covering the receivers, you really have to work for every yard.

The main question marks for this team are on offense. With wide receivers Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith are all free agents. This offense could look very different at the start of the regular season. The running game will remain effective with Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson carrying the load.

I just want to know when they will finally take the handcuffs off Mark Sanchez. The passing game ranked 22nd last season, so if they can become more of a threat in the pass, that may get them over the hump.

Chances the Jets win the AFC East - The Jets are very capable of winning the division, especially if they're able to resign majority of their free agents. Defense wins championships, so why can't it win a division?

New England Patriots

Last year was amazing for the Patriots. They traded Randy Moss, and their offense got even better. Who would have thought?

There are really no questions on the offensive side of the ball, when you have Tom Brady under center. This team ranked 11th in passing and ninth in rushing last season. They developed a two-headed monster last season at running back with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead. When you have one great tight end, you're happy, but when you have two like the Patriots in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, it's impossible to stop.

The defense is where we have problems with this team as the Jets exposed in the playoffs. They struggle to put pressure on the quarterback. They're pretty much good at cornerback with Devin McCourty and Leigh Bodden but lack playmakers at the safety position. Brandon Meriweather is extremely overrated.

Chances the Patriots win the AFC East - Overall, this team has to be the favorite heading into the season. The offense will usually score enough points to hide the flaws in the defense. Jets are the only real threat to win the division, and the quarterback position may be the difference. Who would you want, Mark Sanchez or Tom Brady?