The Buffalo Bills will aim for a sixth-straight AFC East crown in 2025, with MVP winner Josh Allen at the helm. The consensus is that the AFC East is perhaps the most straightforward to predict, given the state of the division.
The Bills are head and shoulders above the rest. The Miami Dolphins are an unknown quantity with Tua Tagovailoa. The New York Jets are in rebuild mode, and while the New England Patriots are expected to improve, they aren't on Buffalo's level.
So it's expected the Bills will win at a canter, and for CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan, while Allen is the outlier, one thing could stop the franchise from winning the division.
"The Bills are massive favorites in the division for good reason," Sullivan writes. "They boast the NFL's MVP in Josh Allen, and he is the ultimate trump card in this race for another AFC East crown. That said, one thing that could prove to be a hinderance for their chances to win the division and, more broadly, get over the hump in the conference is their lack of clutch play on the defensive side of the ball."
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs the ball against New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1).
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs the ball against New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1).
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Defensively is where all the eyes will be in 2025.
Can the additions of Joey Bosa, Jarry Ogunjobi, and Michael Hoecht help the defensive line get after the quarterback? And can rookie Maxwell Hairston bolster a secondary that desperately needs it?
That is the hope. With the other defensive draft selections, the Bills have loaded up on that side of the ball, hoping to keep up with Allen and the offense.
The Bills have everything needed to run through the division yet again in 2025, but that isn't where their eyes are. They want a Super Bowl, and to achieve that, this defense has to step up in big moments.
Yes, another division title would be nice, but Buffalo has bigger fish to fry in the playoffs, with their defense key to achieving the ultimate success.