AFC East Roundtable: How Close Is Each Team to the Super Bowl?

The Miami Dolphins haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 1984 season, but returning to the playoffs obviously is the first step toward that goal

With the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams set to face each other in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium, we figured this first 2022 edition of the SI Fan AFC East Roundtable should address how close (or far) each team in the division is to reaching the big game.

The Buffalo Bills, fresh off consecutive division titles, obviously look like the clear choice as the team closest to reaching the Super Bowl, but they'll be going into the 2022 season without offensive coordinator Brian Daboll after he left to become head coach of the New York Giants. The Bills also will have to deal with the possible hangover from their heartbreaking overtime loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the 2021 playoffs.

The New England Patriots also made the playoffs in 2021, and did so with rookie Mac Jones starting all year at quarterback. But while that would offer hope for Patriots fans, a humbling 47-17 first-round loss at Buffalo made it pretty clear the Patriots have a ways to go before they can start thinking about the Super Bowl again.

The New York Jets didn't come close to the playoffs in Robert Saleh's first year as head coach as they finished with a 4-13 record, but two of those victories came against the aforementioned Bengals and the Tennessee Titans, who earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2021. The Jets also can find optimism in the Bengals and San Francisco 49ers each going to the Super Bowl in recent years the season after finishing with four wins.

Finally, we come to the Miami Dolphins, who were on the doorstep of the playoffs each of the last two seasons, only to come up woefully short in make-or-break games — at Buffalo in the 2020 finale and at Tennessee in Week 17 this past season. The Dolphins have a new coach in Mike McDaniel, and the hope is he can help the offense get to a level where it can properly complement what has been a very good defense.

In the video at the top of the page, Nick Fierro of Bills Central, Max Goodman of Jets Country, Mike D'Abate of Patriot Maven and Alain Poupart of All Dolphins offer their thoughts on each team's situation related to being able to think about playing in the Super Bowl.