American Football Database
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AFC East
ConferenceAmerican Football Conference
LeagueNational Football League
SportAmerican Football
Founded1960
No. of teams4
Most recent champion(s)New England Patriots (12th title)
Most titlesMiami Dolphins (14 titles)

The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots (representing Boston, formerly known as the Boston Patriots through 1970), and New York Jets (formerly nicknamed the Titans through 1962). All are former members of the American Football League (AFL), three of which are charter members of the AFL (the Dolphins were an AFL expansion team added in 1966).

The division was formed in 1960 as the AFL Eastern Division. The Bills, Patriots, and (New York) Titans were joined by the Houston Oilers in the original alignment, with the Dolphins joining in 1966. The division was absorbed nearly intact with the AFL-NFL Merger in 1970, but Houston was moved to the AFC Central (formerly the NFL Century Division, now the AFC North) and replaced by the closer Baltimore Colts (from the NFL Coastal Division, which became the NFC West). Despite relocating to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1984, the Colts continued to play in the AFC East until NFL expansion from 31 to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans and 2002 re-alignment when they were moved to the AFC South (the successor franchise to the Oilers, the Tennessee Titans, is also in the AFC South).

Although Miami is farther south than the home cities of the other three teams, all of which are in the Northeast, all four AFC East teams have historical rivalries among them, dating from their years in the AFL during the 1960s.

None of the AFC East teams currently plays within the central city of their metropolitan area:

All of the teams are or were coached by a 1st or second generation member of the Bill Parcells Coaching Tree, the Patriots have Bill Belichick, the Dolphins have Tony Sparano, the Jets had Eric Mangini (who served as an assistant with both Belichick and Parcells) and the Bills had Dick Jauron (fired on November 17, 2009), who served as an assistant with former Parcells assistant Tom Coughlin. The Jets are now coached by Adam Gase, the Bills are now coached by Sean McDermott, and the Dolphins are now coached by Brian Flores.

Parcells himself coached the Patriots (1993–6) and the Jets (1997–9) and was Vice President of Football Operations for the Dolphins until summer, 2010.

ESPN's Chris Berman often calls this division the "AFC Adams" due to its geographical similarity to the old Adams Division of the NHL, now known as the Northeast Division.

Along with the AFC (formerly AFL) West, the AFC East is the oldest NFL division in terms of creation date (1960).

Division lineups[]

1960–62

Four of the teams above are enfranchised in the American Football League's Eastern Division.

1963–65

New York Titans renamed New York Jets.

1966–69

  • Boston Patriots
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Houston Oilers
  • Miami Dolphins
  • New York Jets

Miami Dolphins enfranchised.

1970

  • Baltimore Colts
  • Boston Patriots
  • Buffalo Bills
  • Miami Dolphins
  • New York Jets

Due to the AFL-NFL Merger, the AFL Eastern Division becomes AFC East. Baltimore Colts moved in from the Capitol Division (renamed NFC East). Houston moved to AFC Central.

1971–83

Boston moved to Foxborough as New England Patriots.

1984–2001

Baltimore moved to Indianapolis.

2002–present

  • Buffalo Bills
  • Miami Dolphins
  • New England Patriots
  • New York Jets

Indianapolis moved to the AFC South division.

Division champions[]

  • ! – The Patriots and Bills each finished with identical 7–6–1 records in the regular season. The Patriots would win the ensuing playoff game for the right to represent the East in the AFL Championship Game.
  • + – A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored, Miami had the best record of the division teams.

Wild Card Qualifiers[]

Since 1969

* – A players' strike in 1982 reduced the regular season to nine games. Thus, the league used a special 16-team playoff tournament just for this year. Division standings were ignored.

Starting in the 2020-2021 season, playoffs have been expanded to include one additional wild card team in each conference.

Total playoff berths[]

Season Team Record Playoff Results
1960 Houston Oilers 10–4–0 Won AFL Championship Game
1961 Houston Oilers 10–3–1 Won AFL Championship Game
1962 Houston Oilers 11–3–0 Lost AFL Championship Game
1963 Boston Patriots 7–6–1 Lost AFL Championship Game
1964 Buffalo Bills 12–2–0 Won AFL Championship Game
1965 Buffalo Bills 10–3–1 Won AFL Championship Game
1966 Buffalo Bills 9–4–1 Lost AFL Championship Game
1967 Houston Oilers 9–4–1 Lost AFL Championship Game
1968 New York Jets 11–3–0 Won Super Bowl III
1969 New York Jets 10–4–0 Lost Inter-Divisional Playoffs
1970 Baltimore Colts 11–2–1 Won Super Bowl V
1971 Miami Dolphins 10–3–1 Lost Super Bowl VI
1972 Miami Dolphins 14–0–0 Won Super Bowl VII
1973 Miami Dolphins 12–2–0 Won Super Bowl VIII
1974 Miami Dolphins 11–3–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1975 Baltimore Colts 10–4–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1976 Baltimore Colts 11–3–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1977 Baltimore Colts 10–4–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1978 New England Patriots 11–5–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1979 Miami Dolphins 10–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1980 Buffalo Bills 11–5–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1981 Miami Dolphins 11–4–1 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1982+ Miami Dolphins 7–2–0 Lost Super Bowl XVII
1983 Miami Dolphins 12–4–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1984 Miami Dolphins 14–2–0 Lost Super Bowl XIX
1985 Miami Dolphins 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
1986 New England Patriots 11–5–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1987 Indianapolis Colts 9–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1988 Buffalo Bills 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
1989 Buffalo Bills 9–7–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1990 Buffalo Bills 13–3–0 Lost Super Bowl XXV
1991 Buffalo Bills 13–3–0 Lost Super Bowl XXVI
1992 Miami Dolphins 11–5–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
1993 Buffalo Bills 12–4–0 Lost Super Bowl XXVIII
1994 Miami Dolphins 10–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1995 Buffalo Bills 10–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1996 New England Patriots 11–5–0 Lost Super Bowl XXXI
1997 New England Patriots 10–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
1998 New York Jets 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
1999 Indianapolis Colts 13–3–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
2000 Miami Dolphins 11–5–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
2001 New England Patriots 11–5–0 Won Super Bowl XXXVI
2002 New York Jets 9–7–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
2003 New England Patriots 14–2–0 Won Super Bowl XXXVIII
2004 New England Patriots 14–2–0 Won Super Bowl XXXIX
2005 New England Patriots 10–6–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
2006 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
2007 New England Patriots 16–0–0 Lost Super Bowl XLII
2008 Miami Dolphins 11–5–0 Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs
2009 New England Patriots 10–6–0 Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs
2010 New England Patriots 14–2–0 Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs
2011 New England Patriots 13–3–0 Lost Super Bowl XLVI
2012 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
2013 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
2014 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Won Super Bowl XLIX
2015 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Lost AFC Championship Game
2016 New England Patriots 14–2–0 Won Super Bowl LI
2017 New England Patriots 13–3–0 Lost Super Bowl LII
2018 New England Patriots 11–5–0 Won Super Bowl LIII
2019 New England Patriots 12–4–0 Lost Wild Card Playoffs
Team Division Championships Playoff Berths Super Bowl championships
Miami Dolphins 14 22 2
New England Patriots 12 27
Buffalo Bills 111 20 0
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts2 6 10 23
New York Jets 4 13 1
Houston Oilers4 4 5 0

1 The Bills tied the Patriots for their 1963 regular season division title, but lost the ensuing playoff game.
2 Known as the Baltimore Colts before 1984. Realigned into the AFC South beginning with the 2002 NFL season.
3 Won Super Bowl V as member of AFC East.
4 Realigned into the AFC Central in 1970, and into the AFC South in 2002. Known as Tennessee Oilers from 1997–98, and Tennessee Titans since 1999.

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