Conference | American Football Conference |
---|---|
League | National Football League |
Sport | American football |
Founded | 1960 (as the American Football League Eastern Division) |
Teams | |
No. of teams | 4 |
Championships | |
Most recent AFC East champion(s) | New England Patriots (2016) |
Most AFC East titles | New England Patriots (19 titles, have won 8 straight AFC East Titles) |
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League (NFL)'s American Football Conference (AFC). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills (based in Orchard Park, New York); the Miami Dolphins (based in Miami Gardens, Florida); the New England Patriots (based in Foxborough, Massachusetts); and the New York Jets (based in East Rutherford, New Jersey).
Since the division's enfranchisement in 1960, with the creation of the American Football League, the division has been represented in nineteen Super Bowls and won eight of them. The most recent appearance and championship in the Super Bowl won by an AFC East team was the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
Entering 2017 the Patriots had the most wins in the division's history, with a record of 476-383-9, with a playoff record of 32-19 (5-4 in Super Bowls) entering the playoffs of that season. The Dolphins were second at 439-341-4 (having played 84 fewer games than their division rivals) with a playoff record of 20-21 (2-3 in Super Bowls). The Bills were at 400-460-8 with a playoff record of 14-15 (with two American Football League titles) but winless having gone to four consecutive Super Bowls. The Jets held a record of 392-468-8, with a playoff record of 12-13 including victory in Super Bowl III.
In 2012, the Patriots broke a tie with the Dolphins for winning the most division titles; with subsequent division titles in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 the Patriots have won 19 AFL/AFC East division titles to Miami's 14. The Bills have won ten division titles, and the Jets have won four.