Winning the AFC East
The other part of moving past the New England Patriots was to win the AFC East, which they hadn’t done since 1995. In fact, the Indianapolis Colts, who hadn’t been in the division since 2002 won the AFC East more recently than the Buffalo Bills when they won in 1999.
The Bills had success under Sean McDermott with two trips to the playoffs in his first three seasons. However, for the franchise to be legitimate contenders, they had to win the division and take that next step.
They certainly did just that with a 13-3 record while sweeping the entire AFC East. While the Miami Dolphins did close the gap slightly late in the season, the Bills essentially led the division from start to finish and it wasn’t really that close. The Bills would end up winning the AFC East with a three-game lead over the Dolphins.
While the division looks like there will be significant changes for the other teams, the Buffalo Bills are set up to once again be near the top of the AFC East in 2021.