Preseason Preview: New England Patriots
Last year, the New England Patriots finished 8-9, making a respectable attempt at reaching the playoffs. The Patriots were most certainly helped by their defense, as they were 11th in points allowed. However, they were 24th in yards allowed. It doesn’t help to consistently lose members of the secondary like the Patriots do each year, but somehow Bill Belichick knows where to find secondary talent, as the Patriots have a young group starring Jonathan Jones to bolster their team. Offense is a little more of a struggle as Mac Jones needs to prove himself in a make or break year. The Patriots biggest worry is not within, rather their division, as they play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL. In this season preview, we will look at their offense, defense, and schedule to gauge how they will likely perform in the upcoming season.
Offense:
Offensively, the Patriots are in a bind this year. Last year, Mac Jones threw for only 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He was 18th in yards, while being 17th in attempts. Truthfully, we haven’t seen enough yet out of Mac Jones to label him as a franchise starter. I mean, some people even think Malik Cunningham is better. Jones will be the starter this year, and has another chance to show what he’s got. However, this quarterback class is loaded with talent if he cannot deliver. It’s not like Jones has gotten much help though. Their receiving core may be as lackluster as it gets, as it is led by JuJu Smith-Shuster. They do have a tight end two headed monster in Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Henry had a down year last year, but reports from training camp say that he is playing like he did back in his Chargers days. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen. Running back is where the Patriots are strongest offensively this year. Rhamondre Stevenson was a workhorse back last season, who was also a strong utility in the passing game. The Patriots bolstered that group even more with the acquisition of Ezekiel Elliot, who will likely get a lot of goalline carries. Stevenson averaged over 5 yards per carry, showing that he is one of the most efficient runners who can lift this Patriots offense to success. Overall, this group is not one of the best in the NFL, but certainly not the worst. It will come down to the efficiency and leadership of Mac Jones and how their offensive line can support their strong rushers.
Defense:
Defensively, the Patriots were strong last year, as they usually are. Their secondary was strong as they were top 15 in passing yards allowed, and 6th in passing touchdowns allowed, meaning that they allowed the 6th least amount of passing touchdowns. Furthermore, they were 3rd in interceptions. Their secondary has young stars in Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones, and Kyle Dugger. In addition, they are boosted by veteran guys in Jalen Mills, Adrian Phillips, and Jabrill Peppers. Finally, let’s not forget their biggest offseason addition in cornerback Christian Gonzalez who will be a monster for them right away. We will have to watch out for the ankle injury he sustained, but he should be good to go week 1 or 2. Together, they are one of the strongest secondaries in the NFL. They are a bit weaker at linebacker, and have injuries in key players like Trey Flowers, but they have an older, but still strong outside linebacker in Matthew Judon. Christian Barmore and Davon Godchaux will lead a slightly weaker line. Maybe this is where they should have invested instead of corner as they were 26th in rushing yards allowed last year. Their pass defense will be a force to be reckoned with this year, but their run defense might be a liability for them in this upcoming season. We will just have to see whether their defense will still be enough to support their weaker offense in a stacked division.
Schedule:
Finally, let’s delve into their schedule to predict how their season will unfold. Last year, the Patriots unfortunately had to play a strong AFC North division. However, they did sweep the Jets, which will likely not happen again this year. It is not looking like they will fare very well against their division, but most likely they will be able to eke out a couple of wins, giving them a 2-4 record in those games to be generous. Week 1 will not be easy as they will take on the Eagles, which will most likely result in a loss. After a couple of division games, they will take on the Cowboys, who I believe they will upset. However, I then think they will drop a game to the dark horse Saints, who will have Kamara back to add to their strong passing attack. They will get a win vs the Raiders and Jimmy Garropolo. They will lose to the Commanders and likely the Giants as well in the following weeks. The Colts will be an interesting matchup if they still have Jonathan Taylor as we know the Patriots run defense is weak, and a combination of Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson may be enough to put them over the edge. However, given Belichick’s record against rookie quarterbacks, I will take the Patriots. They will split the Chargers and Steelers. Finally, they will close out the non-divisional play with a loss to the Chiefs and a win against the Broncos, who they are well fit to match. This puts their final record at 7-10. Their schedule is just too much for the lackluster roster.
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