The Buffalo Bills have spent the past two decades combatting Tom Brady's presence on the New England Patriots, which has obviously made postseason appearances difficult. But even with Brady gone, Bills general manager Brandon Beane believes the Patriots to be the team to beat in the AFC East.

“Candidly, I did not expect Tom to leave,” Beane said, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “New England’s still going to be very good. I think it’s funny, comical that people are writing them off. The team to beat in the East is the Patriots.”

Many have pegged the Bills as the team to beat in the AFC East in 2020 with Brady gone, but it's been since 1995 that the franchise claimed a division title. Buffalo was able to nab a playoff spot last season, but was promptly eliminated in the AFC Wild Card Game.

The Bills have lost each of their past six regular-season matchups against New England, dating back to 2017. The last time that Buffalo claimed a win against their division rival came Week 4 of the 2016 season with a vastly different roster.

With Brady out of the mix, the Patriots still boast arguably the league's best defensive unit. Should they stick with either veteran Brian Hoyer or youngster Jarrett Stidham under center, they will presumably be able to reallocate the money spent on Brady to other facets of their roster.

While the Jets and Dolphins aren't pegged by prognosticators to contend for a division title in 2020, things definitely feel more open in the AFC East, even if Beane is playing it straight for the time being.