I 100% guarantee you that if right now, or if in a few weeks we find Pittsburgh or Baltimore above the Pats in the seeding they will be criticizing the fact that the Pats have to now go on the road. Mazz especially will bash the Pats' chances to death based on that. Felger will be a bit more objective, and has given them credit against Pittsburgh in the past, but won't this time.
On the contrary, the AFC East has had some many good years. In 2001, the Pats, Jets and Dolphins all made the playoffs. In 2002, there was a 3 way tie for first place and Buffalo was 8-8, with the Pats missing the playoffs to the Browns over a tiebreaker when they had a much tougher schedule than the Browns. In 2008, both the Pats and the Dolphins went 11-5 and the Jets went 9-7, with the Pats again losing the playoff spot over tiebreakers (although they had a much easier schedule that year outside the division). In 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010 both the Jets and the Pats made the playoffs. I think you'd find if you analyzed every division for the last 10 years that the AFC East has held its own. Not that Felger or Mazz would ever do that since it doesn't fit their anti-Patriots arguments.