Bills Given +175 Odds to Win AFC East After Acquiring Diggs and Brady Departing
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Updated: March 9, 2021 at 4:57 pm ESTPublished:
- The Buffalo Bills are now +175 to win the AFC East after acquiring Stefon Diggs from Minnesota on Monday and seeing Tom Brady announce he’s leaving the PatriotsÂ
- Can the Bills ended the 11-year stranglehold on the division title maintained by New England without Brady in the picture?
- Get analysis of all the odds, picks and best bets in the story that follows
Buffalo Bills fans are already envisioning the magic that Stefon Diggs will bring to the team’s offense. Remember, this is the guy who was on the receiving end of the Minnesota Miracle for the Vikings in the 2018 NFL playoffs.
The New England Patriots are the rulers of the AFC East. The Patriots have won division title for the past 11 years, as well as 16 of the previous 17 seasons – but Tom Brady is no longer a part of the organization after announcing his departure from the franchise on Tuesday.
Now possessing arguably the best roster in the division, can Buffalo finally pry the top spot in the AFC East away from Bill Belichick’s crew?
2020 NFL AFC East Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | -110 |
| Buffalo Bills | +175 |
| New York Jets | +650 |
| Miami Dolphins | +1000 |
Odds taken March 17th.
Buffalo hasn’t won an AFC East title since 1995.
Bills Can Diggs It
Without a doubt, Buffalo’s offense became the most dangerous in the AFC East on Monday. The Bills already suited up a decent wide out in John Brown. In his first season with Buffalo in 2019, Brown posted career highs in receptions (72), receiving yardage (1,060) and yards per game (70.7).
Adding Diggs to line up opposite of Brown will definitely give NFL defensive coordinators sleepless nights when it comes to planning their coverages in the secondary.
Stefon Diggs' 2019 #ReceptionPerception success rate vs. coverage scores:
vs. man: 76.5%
vs. zone: 84.3%
vs. press: 79.1% (career best)He's now finished above the 93rd percentile against man coverage for three-straight years. He is the best route runner in the NFL.
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) February 28, 2020
Trapped in a run-first offense in Minnesota, Diggs has often been under-utilized. Yet he’s still proven to be among the NFL’s most dangerous receivers. He is considered one of the best route runners in the league and annually ranks among the leaders in all analytics relating to this area of the game.
Buffalo’s vertical passing game just became deadly to defenses. Both of these receivers possess the speed and skill to gain separation from defensive coverage. And in Josh Allen, the Bills have a quarterback with the arm to deliver the deep ball.
Factor in the running game with Devin Singletary and it’s easy to like the capabilities of Buffalo’s offense.
Patriots Will Enter New Era
Interestingly, one of the other major players in the bidding for Diggs was the Patriots. But Monday simply brought more heartache to a team whose reign atop the division looks to be in jeopardy.
The Patriots watched two of their three starting linebackers – Jamie Collins (Detroit Lions) and Kyle Van Noy (Miami Dolphins) – agree to free-agent deals with new teams.
The Patriots were another team that talked to the Vikings about Stefon Diggs on Monday. The Redskins had interest, too, but their draft pick situation (they weren't going to trade the second overall pick, and have no second-rounder) made it tough.
So Buffalo it is.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 17, 2020
Tom Brady announced on Tuesday morning that he will also be leaving Foxborough, and with the team’s cap situation it will be difficult for them to find a talented replacement this offseason.
Bills Aren’t the Browns
Comparisons of the excitement in Buffalo to the delirium in Cleveland last year when the Browns landed Odell Beckham Jr are understandable. Cleveland instantly became a Cinderella sensation. The Browns were AFC North favorites and darted up among the contenders in the Super Bowl future books.
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are fired up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dOe3bZQGdz
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 17, 2020
Then the real games began and Cleveland finished 6-10.
These Bills aren’t those Browns. Buffalo was a 10-6 playoff team last season. The Bills were the NFL’s #3 defense last season (298.2 yards per game), and the #2 scoring defense (16.2 points per game).
At +175, Buffalo is a sensational value play.
Pick: Buffalo Bills (+175)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
