In sports , a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.
32-872: The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills , the Miami Dolphins , the New England Patriots , and the New York Jets . All four members of the AFC East were previously members of
64-460: A league system (also known as a pyramid structure), a division consists of a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level. Teams can move up to a higher division of play or drop down to a lower one via the process of promotion and relegation , based on their performance in the standings at the end of the season. The existence of divisions based on level of competition ensures that teams at one competitive level can play other teams at
96-679: A 25 hour day. The boundaries of the Eastern Time Zone have moved westward since the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) took over time-zone management from railroads in 1938. The easternmost and northernmost counties in Kentucky were added to the zone in the 1940s, and in 1961 most of the state went Eastern. In 2000, Wayne County , on the Tennessee border, switched from Central to Eastern Time. Within
128-403: A similar competitive level, thus creating parity and more exciting matches. In North America , where sports usually operate on a franchise system rather than a league system, a division is a group of teams within a league which is organized along geographical lines rather than competitive success. Teams based in cities that are in a particular region of the continent are grouped together in
160-638: Is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States , parts of eastern Canada , and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico . On the second Sunday in March, at 2:00 a.m. EST, clocks are advanced to 3:00 a.m. EDT, creating a 23 hour day. On the first Sunday in November, at 2:00 a.m. EDT, clocks are moved back to 1:00 a.m. EST, which results in
192-520: Is due to their close proximity to Columbus, Georgia , which is on Eastern Time. In addition Smiths Station in Lee County along with Valley and Lanett in Chambers county honor Eastern Time. The Bahamas and Haiti officially observe both Eastern Standard Time during the winter months and Eastern Daylight Time during the summer months. Cuba generally follows the U.S. with Eastern Standard Time in
224-627: Is located in the south-central United States, the Cowboys are a member of the NFC East division due to their long-standing rivalries with the New York Giants , Philadelphia Eagles , and Washington Commanders , all of whom are located on the Eastern seaboard . In U.S. college sports , a "division" has a meaning different from either sense listed above, although somewhat closer to that of
256-579: The "AFC Adams" due to its geographical similarity to the old Adams Division of the NHL , now succeeded by the Atlantic Division . Along with the AFC (formerly AFL) West, the AFC East is the oldest NFL division in terms of creation date (1960). Place cursor over year for division champion or Super Bowl team. (AFC East records 1960–2021 seasons) Reflects Colts & Oilers results only while in
288-563: The AFC East are the Bills, who won 4 consecutive division titles in 2020 , 2021 , 2022 , and 2023 . Previously, the Patriots had won eleven consecutively from 2009 through 2019. The Patriots have won the most AFL/AFC East titles, at 22; followed by the Bills at 15(who also had the best record in the East during the strike shortened 82 season when divisions were scrapped for a seeded playoffs) and
320-956: The AFC East until NFL expansion from 31 to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans (successor club in Houston to the Oilers) 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 further 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
352-672: The AFL during the 1960s. All four teams in this division are based in the Eastern Time Zone . None of the AFC East teams currently play within the central city of their metropolitan area (in New England's case, they also reflect the region they are based in): Almost analogously, three out of the four NFC East teams do not actually play within the city of their naming (only the Philadelphia Eagles do so). All of
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#1732765142853384-835: The AFL in 1966 as part of its Eastern division. 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
416-510: The Bills were coached by Rex Ryan for 31 games (the entire 2015–16 season, and he was fired before the last game of the 2016–17 season and replaced with interim Head Coach Anthony Lynn ). Parcells himself coached the Patriots (1993–96) and the Jets (1997–99) and was Vice President of Football Operations for the Dolphins until the summer of 2010. ESPN 's Chris Berman often calls this division
448-644: The Dolphins at 14.The Jets have won four. Two teams formerly in the division combined for ten AFL/AFC East titles – the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans ) won four division titles (and the 1960 and 1961 AFL titles) during the AFL era while the Baltimore – Indianapolis Colts won six division titles (and Super Bowl V ) in the 32 seasons they were in the division. The AFC East teams have won 26 AFL or AFC championships: including 11 by
480-744: The East Division. In the sortable table below, teams can be ordered by name, number of division wins, playoff berths, or titles. Realigned from NFL Coastal in 1970 merger . Known as the Baltimore Colts before 1984. Realigned into the AFC South beginning with the 2002 NFL season . Realigned into the AFC Central in 1970 merger , and into the AFC South in 2002. Known as Tennessee Oilers from 1997 to 1998, and Tennessee Titans since 1999. Division (sport) In sports using
512-629: The Eastern Division of the American Football League (AFL). Both perfect regular seasons in professional football since the adoption of a 14-game schedule in the inaugural AFL season and by the NFL in 1961 have been achieved by teams in this division – the 1972 Dolphins , who completed the only perfect season in professional football at 17–0, and the 2007 Patriots , who finished 18–1 after losing Super Bowl XLII . Since
544-826: The Eastern Time Zone. The boundary between time zones is set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations , with the boundary between the Eastern and Central Time Zones being specifically detailed in 49 C.F.R. part 71. Washington, D.C. , and 17 states are located entirely within the Eastern Time Zone. They are: Five states are divided between the Eastern Time Zone and the Central Time Zone . The following locations observe Eastern Time: Additionally, Phenix City, Alabama , and several nearby communities in Russell County, Alabama , unofficially observe Eastern Time. This
576-570: The Patriots, 6 by the Bills, and 5 by the Dolphins. The now-Titans won 2, followed by 1 each by the Jets and Colts. The American Football League Eastern Division was formed during the inaugural season of the American Football League in 1960, as a counterpart to the AFL Western Division . The divisional alignment consisted of the Buffalo Bills, Boston Patriots, New York Titans and Houston Oilers . The Miami Dolphins entered
608-643: The United States, the Eastern Time Zone is the most populous region, with nearly half of the country's population. In March 2019, the Florida Legislature passed a bill requesting authorization from Congress for year-round daylight saving time, which would effectively put Florida on Atlantic Standard Time year-round (except for west of the Apalachicola River , which would be on Eastern Standard Time year-round). A similar bill
640-539: The division's establishment in 1960, with the creation of the AFL, the division has been represented in 22 Super Bowls and won 11 of them. The most recent appearance in the Super Bowl by an AFC East team was the Patriots victory in Super Bowl LIII . Among the current teams, they have a total of nine Super Bowl titles: six for the Patriots, two for the Dolphins, and one for the Jets. The current champions of
672-401: The division. Moreover, the top teams in a division qualify for the postseason playoff tournament that crowns the league champion, which heightens the rivalries between the teams in a division. Geographically-based divisions can become skewed if an expansion team joins the league or if one of the franchises within a division moves to another city, necessitating a shuffling or realignment of
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#1732765142853704-405: The divisions of the league) are at the same competitive level and remain so year after year. North American professional sports leagues often construct their season schedules in a way such that teams in a division play matches against each other more often than other teams in the league. This not only has the effect of reducing travel costs, but also creates exciting rivalries between the teams in
736-511: The exception of schools in the highest level of NCAA (American) football , which have never had an NCAA-recognized national championship ). As an example, the NCAA is split into three divisions: The term division is also used in US college sports to indicate the groupings of members of a given conference . However, this usage is more recent. The first conference to divide its teams into divisions
768-602: The league system. The major governing bodies for college sports, the NCAA and NAIA , divide their member schools into large competitive groups. These groups are much larger than divisions in either the league or franchise system—for example, the NCAA's highest competitive level, Division I , has more than 300 member schools. The vast majority of teams are members of conferences , smaller groupings that usually have between 6 and 14 members. Conference champions, plus selected other teams, compete in national championship tournaments (with
800-547: The same days and at the same times as it does in the United States. In Canada , the following provinces and territories are part of the Eastern Time Zone: Within Canada, as with the United States, the Eastern Time Zone is the most populous time zone. Most of Canada observes daylight saving time synchronously with the United States, with the exception of Saskatchewan , Yukon , and several other very localized areas. None of those areas are in
832-545: The same division. For instance, in Major League Baseball , both the American and National Leagues have East, Central, and West divisions; the teams in each division are mostly (but not always) located in the eastern, central, and western sections of North America respectively. In a franchise system, teams are not promoted or relegated as are teams in a league system. All teams in the league (and by extension,
864-520: The teams are or were coached by a first or second generation member of the Bill Parcells coaching tree : the Patriots had Bill Belichick ; the Dolphins had 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 were coached by Todd Bowles (2015–2018) and
896-612: The teams in a division. Furthermore, the results of the realignment may not always reflect geographical realities. For instance, in 1995, the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) moved to St. Louis, Missouri and became the St. Louis Rams . The team retained its place in the NFC West division despite the fact that St. Louis is further east than Dallas, Texas , home of the Dallas Cowboys . Although Dallas
928-510: The winter, and Eastern Daylight Time in the summer, but the exact day of change varies year to year. The Cayman Islands and Jamaica use Eastern Standard Time year-round. The Turks and Caicos Islands followed Eastern Time with daylight saving until 2015, when the territory switched to the Atlantic Time Zone . The Turks and Caicos Islands switched back to the pre-2015 schedule in March 2018. A 2017 consultation paper highlighted
960-585: Was amended to make the first Sunday in April the beginning of daylight saving time beginning in 1987. Later, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time in the United States, beginning in 2007. Since then, local times change at 2:00 a.m. EST to 3:00 a.m. EDT on the second Sunday in March, and return from 2:00 a.m. EDT to 1:00 a.m. EST on the first Sunday in November. In Canada, daylight saving time begins and ends on
992-591: Was proposed for the Canadian province of Ontario by its legislative assembly in late 2020, which would have a similar effect on the province if passed. For those in the United States, daylight saving time for the Eastern Time Zone was introduced by the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which specified that daylight saving time would run from the last Sunday of April until the last Sunday in October. The act
AFC East - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-622: Was the Southeastern Conference which, upon expanding to 12 members in 1992, divided into Eastern and Western divisions. Other conferences have undergone similar expansion and division. The usage in the section above is still maintained. For example, the Georgia Bulldogs are in Division I, but are also in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone ( ET )
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