The Buffalo Bills have dominated the AFC East in recent years, winning five straight division titles after not winning one since 1995. It's been a nice run for the Bills and despite analysts continuing to think that other teams could come in and shake things up in the division, it hasn't happened, at least not yet.
The New York Jets were one of the teams that analysts thought could give the Bills a run for their money over the last two years, thanks to their addition of Aaron Rodgers. As we know, that move didn't end up turning into anything meaningful for the Jets and they ended that experiment over the offseason.
The Jets signed Justin Fields in the offseason, hoping that the former first-round draft choice of the Bears in 2021 could change the narrative for them. Unfortunately for them, things are already off to a brutal start there, as Fields was injured during Thursday morning's practice and was carted inside after limping off the practice field.
Justin Fields injury signals end of Jets' season before it even begins
While the Jets probably weren't a major threat to take the division from the Bills in the first place, you simply never know. Fields isn't a bad quarterback and at least gave the Jets a serviceable option at the sport's most important position and that can't be understated. Having a decent quarterback paired with a talented defense could have led the Jets to being a better-than-expected type of team.
While there's no update on Fields as of this writing, if the former first-rounder does have to miss time, that'd lead to former Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor taking the reins as the starter. Not having your QB1 makes it trickier to win games and that team being in the same division for the Bills makes it seem even easier for Buffalo to win its sixth straight division title.
The Dolphins have proven that they can't win big games and the Patriots look to be improving but we simply don't know what kind of step they'll take this year. Drake Maye could take a massive leap or suffer the sophomore slump fate that so many second-year players do.
We obviously aren't rooting for injuries and this definitely sucks for Fields. That being said, there's no debating that this makes another AFC East title in Buffalo seem imminent (knock on wood, of course).