a*f*c east
What Is The AFC East In Football?
1. The AFC East is a division in the American Football Conference (AFC). It is one of four divisions that are part of the AFC, which isone of the two conferences in the National Football League (NFL). It currently consists of teams in Massachusetts, New York and Florida.
History Of The AFC East
Only two perfect regular seasons have ever occurred in the NFL and both were by teams in the AFC East. Most famously, the 1972 Miami Dolphins completed an entire season undefeated, including the regular season and playoffs, followed by a win in Super Bowl VI.
In 2007, the New England Patriots, led by quarterback Tom Brady, ran their perfect record to 18-0 before losing to the New York Giants in Super XLII.
The New England Patriots began as the Boston Patriots in the American Football League’s (AFL) Eastern Division. The AFL East division was created in 1960, the inaugural season of the AFL. At the time, it consisted of the Boston Patriots, New York Titans, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers.
In 1963, the New York Titans became the New York Jets. The Miami Dolphins entered as an expansion team in the 1966 season.
When the AFL and NFL merged in the 1970 season, the AFL’s Eastern Division became the AFC East. As a result of the AFL/NFL merger, the Houston Oilers changed divisions and were replaced by the Baltimore Colts.
As of 2022, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East division title the most times. They dominated the division through the first two decades of the 2000s. The New York Jets have the least amount of division titles, having only won it four times.
The AFC East has been represented in the Super Bowl 21 times. The Buffalo Bills made it to the Super Bowl four consecutive times from 1991-1994 and lost all four. The New England Patriots have been to eight Super Bowls since 2002 and won six of them.
Previous Teams In The AFC East
When the AFC East was founded as the AFL Eastern division in 1960, it consisted of four teams:
- Boston Patriots
- New York Titans
- Buffalo Bills
- Houston Oilers
By the time the division was renamed the AFC East in 1970 (the first season it was part of the NFL), it was comprised of five teams:
- Boston Patriots
- New York Jets
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- Baltimore Colts
The following season, in 1971, the Boston Patriots became the New England Patriots.
The Baltimore Colts relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 but remained a part of the AFC East until the Houston Texans became a franchise in 2002. The AFC East has remained unchanged since.
Current Teams In The AFC East
The current teams in the AFC East very closely reflect the original teams that were part of the 1960 AFL Eastern Division. The Houston Oilers and Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts both left and were never replaced. Some team names have changed, but the franchises are still the same.
As of 2022, the AFC East consists of:
Sport The Term Is Used
1. Football
