Buffalo Bills
Best Case Scenario: Tyrod Taylor takes off in hopes of landing a fat long-term deal with one of the many franchises in need of a serviceable quarterback. And now that Rex Ryan has had another year to mold this stacked defense, the Bills become a wild card contender with lots to root for on both sides of the ball.Worst Case Scenario: Taylor falls off the Buffalo quarterback cliff where Kevin Kolb and Trent Edwards were last seen. Forced to start E.J. Manuel again, the Bills are just good enough to miss out on a top draft pick and fans resort to lighting themselves on fire and destroying tables in the parking lot... just this one time.
Bellwether Match Up: Buffalo has its best shot to gain some ground in the AFC East when they face a Tom Brady-less Patriots team in Week 4. Stealing one in Foxboro would keep Bills fans' hopes up for weeks to come.
Prediction: For the record, I think the Bills have a higher ceiling than I'm going to predict. Taylor has a big arm and the speed on the ground to take this team places, and Buffalo's defense has the kind of depth that could keep them ticking while the injuries pile up for other franchises. But with some pretty difficult competition on the schedule, I'm not sure they've improved enough to get beyond 7 - 9 with this steeper hill to climb.
Miami Dolphins
Best Case Scenario: Offensive guru and new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase finally unlocks the mystery of Ryan Tannehill and makes his new team unstoppable when they have the ball. Tannehill gets the kind of pass protection he'd only dreamed of behind Laremy Tunsil, and Miami is in the running for a playoff bid for the first time since 2008.Worst Case Scenario: Like so many before him, Gase determines that Tannehill is a Gordian knot that cannot be unraveled in the service of winning consecutive games. And it doesn't matter anyway with a defensive roster so old and thin, Larry King had to loan his suspenders - zing! With the Jets and Bills continuing to build depth, Miami keeps dwelling in the division cellar.
Prediction: If Gase can transform Tannehill and budding star receiver Jarvis Landry into shootout assassins, the Dolphins have a chance to be better, but that will be hard to do against other ferocious defenses in this division. I'm saying 5 - 11, which will give Gase another year to draft his way to a better defense.
New York Jets
Best Case Scenario: Now that the Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick have gotten back together, all is right in the Meadowlands again. It also helps that Brandon Marshall is still here. Taking a page from the champs in Denver, New York rests its laurels on a stingy pass rush to win field position and turnover battles, locking up that wild card spot that should have been theirs a year ago.Prediction: As good as this team looked for stretches of 2015, how can you not be freaked out by that schedule I just mentioned? Now that Fitz has gotten paid, I'm not sure the sense of urgency will be there to take this team much higher than 7 - 9.
New England Patriots
Best Case Scenario: The Pats don't miss a beat while Tom Brady serves his time and rattle off seven wins in their first eight games. Yet another AFC East title and playoff bid are a given for a team looking for revenge after getting smacked down by Roger Goodell and Dever's defense alike these path few months.Worst Case Scenario: Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo turns out to be little more than eye candy, dropping three games early in the season. Although New England rallies with Brady back in the fold later on, it's not quite enough to land a top seed or a bye week this year. (Pictured here: Tom Brady doing his best "I'm having an old friend for dinner, Clarice" impression)
Prediction: Other than a Week 1 trip to Arizona, the Pats should be just fine regardless of Brady's suspension in the early going. If Gronk and Julian Edelman can stay healthy, I got no problem projecting this team at another 12 - 4.
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