Friday 30 August 2019 23:48, UK
The wait is nearly over and the new NFL season is almost upon us!
The league's 100th year begins on Thursday, September 5 when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers, live on Sky Sports.
Before then, it's time to assess 2019's contenders.
We are previewing all eight divisions, and here you can find our views on the AFC East and cast your vote on who you think will win below...
Head coach: Bill Belichick
Key man: Usually, Tom Brady is the obvious choice, but watch out for Sony Michel in the coming season. His rookie campaign was outstanding despite missing the entire preseason due to injury and, although he started only eight regular-season games, he ran for 931 yards and six touchdowns.
Michel then excelled in the play-offs, doubling his touchdown haul - including the only score of the Super Bowl - and providing the consistent explosiveness out of the backfield that the Patriots have lacked in recent years.
Trying to predict how Belichick will handle his running backs has often been a fruitless task, but Michel looks the clear No 1 choice... for the time being... and he can help take the heat off an ageing quarterback.
Major additions: Demaryius Thomas and Cameron Meredith are shrewd recruits at wide receiver following the departures of Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson, but much of the attention could be on rookie N'Keal Harry, the only wideout ever drafted by Belichick in the first round.
New England's strength at wide receiver is further enhanced by undrafted free agent Jakobi Meyers, who has led the stats in pre-season. Bizarrely, the Pats did not draft a tight end despite Rob Gronkowski's retirement.
Last season: 11-5, AFC winners for the 10th year in a row, and Super Bowl champions once again. Brady, Michel and Julian Edelman were the inspirations behind another successful post-season campaign, with cracking wins over the LA Chargers and Kansas City followed by a somewhat less-riveting display in the Super Bowl, beating the Rams 13-3 without spending time in the red zone!
Prospects: Tom Brady might be 42 years of age now, but his array of weaponry at wide receiver is arguably the best it's ever been, and another Super Bowl appearance beckons. They will stroll to the AFC East title once again and, if Brady stays fit, who is going to bet against them going all the way?
Prediction: 1st (12-4)
Head coach: Adam Gase
Key man: Le'Veon Bell made headlines for all the wrong reasons in his final year with Pittsburgh, with contract disputes centered around his refusal to be a franchise player robbing the NFL of one of its greatest talents.
The Jets splashed the cash to make him the league's second-highest-paid running back, and Bell will be determined to make up for lost time. The only concern for the Jets is making sure he is not over-worked.
Major additions: Bell's arrival is a huge boost for young quarterback Sam Darnold, who will also be looking forward to linking up with wide receivers Jamison Crowder and Josh Bellamy, acquired from Washington and Chicago respectively.
The Jets also dug deep into the coffers to bring in former Baltimore linebacker CJ Mosley, who has made the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons in the NFL.
Last season: 4-12 and only one victory against a divisional rival, a meaningless win over Buffalo late in the season. But there was encouragement over the final three weeks as Sam Darnold's stock grew in waves, firing five touchdowns and not a single interception having been picked off 15 times in his previous 10 starts.
Prospects: Optimism is much, much higher than it has been for many years on the green side of New York, but the many significant changes could take time to bed in. Former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has all the pieces in place to mount a run to the playoffs, but the Jets need to avoid being over-reliant on Bell and Darnold.
Prediction: 2nd (10-6)
Head coach: Sean McDermott
Key man: Josh Allen. The Bills have recruited heavily on offense in the off-season, giving second-year quarterback Allen as much help as possible to fulfil his potential.
He struggled with his passing accuracy early in his rookie season, but his radar appeared to improve when he returned after a few weeks out with an elbow injury. A strengthened offensive line should give Allen more time to weigh up his options, which are plentiful...
Major additions: New faces across the width of the offensive line, while wide receiver John Brown is likely to be Allen's "go-to" man and get the workload he often found hard to come by in Baltimore.
The same could be said of Cole Beasley, who many feel was under-used by the Cowboys, while TJ Yeldon is an interesting addition to the backfield and should feature primarily as an extra passing option. Rugby fans, meanwhile, will be keeping a close eye on the progress of former Wasps and England wing, Christian Wade.
Last season: 6-10 with only two wins on the road, so the Bills certainly need to travel better to be a factor this year. The inconsistency was baffling at times, and a damaging six-week run in which their top score was 13 points meant the rebuilding process effectively started in mid-season.
The last six weeks, however, were positive for Allen, who won five QB duels and was also the leading rusher four times with over 90 yards in each.
Prospects: Like the Jets, Buffalo fans have plenty to look forward to in the 2019 season. McDermott has taken a big gamble in his busy recruitment drive, although he has largely stayed loyal with the stout defense that impressed last year but were often worn down by spending too much time on the field.
Prediction: 3rd (8-8)
Head coach: Brian Flores
Key man: This is a big year for running back Kenyan Drake, whose undoubted talent has been stifled in the last couple of seasons by quarterback struggles and a weak offensive line.
Four rushing touchdowns and 535 yards is a poor return for a season, although he did boost his numbers with five receiving TDs to prove his dual-threat out of the backfield.
If Drake can double his rushing yardage, the Dolphins can go places. But it's also been touted that Kalen Ballage could emerge as the No 1 rusher in Miami.
Major additions: With Ryan Tannehill now in Tennessee after seven frustrating and injury-ravaged seasons, Flores has brought in Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, and the veteran will start the season under center.
We all know what "Fitzmagic" is capable of - both good and bad - but 22-year-old Rosen is likely to get his chance sooner rather than later.
Last season: 7-9 and, although that was good enough to finish second behind the Patriots in the AFC East, it was the familiar mixture of outstanding wins when least expected coupled with too many abject performances that ruled the Dolphins out of playoff contention.
They retained a sniff of a post-season berth with the astonishing "Miracle in Miami" win over the Patriots in week 14, and then lost their final three games... comfortably!
Prospects: The popular opinion is that the Dolphins will be contenders for the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft next May, and it's hard to see them enjoying their six divisional match-ups, in particular.
There is ability across the board, but the roster just looks too flaky when compared to the Patriots, Jets and Bills. Expectations are low, which could be a good thing?
Prediction: 4th (4-12)
