As the new NFL season approaches, Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Matt Harmon dove into the AFC East for their division preview on “Football 301,” sharing some pointed predictions about where each team is headed in 2026.
Below, we break down their win total picks for each squad.
|
Team |
Tice’s Win Total |
Harmon’s Win Total |
O/U Line |
|
Bills |
10-7 |
11-6 |
10.5 |
|
Patriots |
11-6 |
10-7 |
9.5 |
|
Jets |
5-12 |
5-12 |
5.5 |
|
Dolphins |
4-13 |
4-13 |
4.5 |
Win total predictions:
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The Bills, building on sustained offensive strength but retooling on defense, generated cautious optimism from both hosts. Tice slotted them in for 10 wins: “I think this is a dead-on 10-7 team. And I don’t mean like a bad team, but [a] 10-7 team with some frustrating performances and then some brilliant performances thrown in.”
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New England Patriots
Win total predictions:
The reigning division and conference champions, despite a big jump in schedule difficulty, earned strong reviews for their offseason upgrades.
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Tice is especially bullish: “I’m going 11-6. I do think though that they ‘regressed,’ but … I think this is a playoff team.”
Harmon went slightly lower: “I also feel that way … Like, they’re going to go from 14 wins to 10 wins. I think they will feel like a better team even if they don’t go to the damn Super Bowl this [season].”
New York Jets
Win Total Predictions:
For the Jets, even with intriguing young talent, both anticipated another tough campaign. Both were skeptical Aaron Glenn would survive for a third year as head coach and questioned the viability of Frank Reich as the offensive coordinator.
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“It feels like a house that looks real, like it looks really good on the outside, the new paint job, the whole deal,” Harmon said. “And then you get inside and you’re like, oh … there’s mold in here.”
Win Total Predictions:
With massive personnel and coaching turnover, neither host saw a path out of the division basement for Miami. Both pegged the Dolphins at just four wins, matching the market’s 4.5 over/under. Not helping: the Dolphins face the second hardest schedule in the league.
The hosts agreed that the win total will hinge on how well QB Malik Willis integrates into the offense.
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“He’s going to have some fun flashy moments because he can chuck it and he can run and he’s big,” Tice said “And I think he’ll handle the offense OK enough and they might have some cool wrinkles.”
For more NFL insight, tune into “Football 301 on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
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