It was an eventful 2018 for the New England Patriots, but brace yourselves, 2019 is going to be a wild one for Bill Belichick and his boys.
The New England Patriots will enter 2019 with more questions than they had going into 2018.
Following an 11-5 season, Bill Belichick and the Patriots appear to be a dynasty on the decline. The National media has labeled the roster the worst of the teams entering the playoffs and they just may be right.
Tom Brady is 41years old and is starting to look his age. All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski has become a shell of himself and Julian Edelman has more drops and unnecessary roughness fines than he has 100-yard receiving games.
Add to that a defense with no star players, except the elite-ness that is Stephon Gilmore and NFL analysts like former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh is right, this New England Patriots quad may not get out of the first round.
But we all know better, now don’t we?
The one time you start to doubt Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is the one time they shock the world. Or, make the rest of the world nauseated.
So, as up and down as 2018 was for the Patriots, here are some wild predictions for 2019 that may just show that the team is on the brink of yet another dynasty.
Team rides on to Super Bowl LIII
The last thing New England Patriots haters and doubters want to see will happen to start 2019.
Bill Belichick said the best of 2018 Patriots have yet to be written and he will be right. Riding their defense in the divisional round of the playoffs, Trey Flowers and a rejuvenated Danny Shelton anchor the defensive line in a dominant performance against the run heavy Baltimore Ravens.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
In a grueling battle, the Patriots pull away to beat the Ravens 24-13 after forcing Lamar Jackson into a pick-6 by undrafted rookie cornerback JC Jackson.
On offense, Tom Brady throws for two touchdowns and James Devlin runs in another as a complete team effort gets the job done.
In the AFC Championship game, the New England Patriots are given no chance against the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs. However, a re-energized Rob Gronkowski turns back the clock and has a dominant 10-catch performance against the Chiefs’ defense.
Sony Michel will rush for over 100 yard as the Patriots take the Arrowhead Stadium crowd out of the game early. In what would be predicted as another shootout between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes II will end up being a slow scoring affair pulled off by the Patriots in a 17-14 game, which will be the road victory the team didn’t have all season long.
After the game, Bill Belihcick gushes about how proud he is of his football team.
On to Cleveland
Prior to Super Bowl LIII, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will somewhat surprise the NFL by turning down the Green Bay Packers job and taking over as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
While many will expect him to take either the Green Bay job, McDaniels will decide guiding Baker Mayfield a more intriguing opportunity than coaching Aaron Rodgers.
His departure will indicate that Bill Belichick plans on sticking around for a few more years.
But, the Patriots would not only lose one coordinator, Brian Flores will land with the Arizona Cardinals after a successful interview with the team. That will leave Belichick with some interesting decisions to make following Super Bowl LIII, but for the moment, his focus and energy will be on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.
Going up against another high-powered offense and good defense, both Josh McDaniels and Brian Flores will get a chance on the national spotlight to show how good they are coaching a roster many NFL pundits label subpar.
Patriots defeat Saints
It will be a classic showdown between two veteran quarterbacks, but Tom Brady will finish the job he didn’t finish in Super Bowl LII.
More from New England Patriots
- Former Patriot Stevan Ridley Put Kevin Hart in a Wheelchair
- 3 Patriots Who Can Clinch a Roster Spot in Final Preseason Game
- Patriots Get Win Over Division Rivals Before Season Even Begins
- New Massachusetts Sportsbook Promos: $450 Bonus to Bet on Your Patriots at Caesars + DraftKings
- Ezekiel Elliott Reveals 3 Reasons Why He Signed With Patriots
With admiration for one another prior to the game, Brady and Drew Brees put up a show as both offenses run up and down the field. Cordarrelle Patterson will play a key role in the team’s rushing and passing game as Josh McDaniels mixes things up with creative playcalling to get the speedy playmaker in space.
With attention on Patterson, Brady and Super Bowl LIII MVP Rob Gronkowski develop an unstoppable connection in the fourth quarter with the Patriots trailing the Saints by. With the defense finally finding a way to clamp down the Brees, Brady and Gronk connect on two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game to take a 41-35 lead with just six seconds left.
Reminiscent of the Miami game, the Saints will attempt laterals on the kickoff, but this time both Devin and Jason McCourty make the tackle that seals a Super Bowl victory!
Bill Belihcick and Sean Peyton are seen embracing at midfield just before Belichick embraces his two coaches in their final game with the Patriots.
Gronkowski retires but returns mid-season in 2019
Rob Gronkowski will ride into the sunset after two great performances in the postseason.
Jubilant that he fulfilled his promise to fans and was a part of the team’s sixth Super Bowl title, Gronkowski admits the physical wear and tear has become too much for his body and decides to hang up his helmet.
Weeks later, Gronkowski announces that he will indeed join the WWE.
After drafting a tight end in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Patriots sign free agent Jared Cook on a one-year deal, but it is last year’s seventh-round pick Ryan Izzo who emerges as a pass-catching tight end.
With his ability to block and catch the ball, Izzo becomes a Tom Brady favorite, which leaves Cook seeing less and less reps.
After Cook blows up in the media, the New England Patriots release him mid-season. In a surprising move, Rob Gronkowski decides to come out of retirement to help his boy Tom Brady win one last Super Bowl as the 42-year-old quarterback gives into Father Time and announces his retirement following the 2019 NFL season.
Blake Bortles the successor…temporarily
Don’t worry, the New England Patriots will draft a quarterback in the second or third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
However, with Tom Brady making it known he is on his final run, the Patriots shock the NFL on Day 1 of free agency by signing Blake Bortles to a three-year deal. The Boston media won’t like it, but the Patriots feel Bortles could be the bridge quarterback.
Suddenly, with a new, young tight end, a 1,000-yard rusher in Sony Michel and the emergence of Braxton Berrios as the team’s new, dynamic slot receiver, Bill Belichick believes the Patriots have the pieces necessary to win with Brady in 2019 and Bortles moving forward until the young rookie is ready to take over the reins.
With a few surprise cuts, including the release of Dont’a Hightower, Belichick gets back in the media’s good graces by making a splash on Jadeveon Clowney and taking a chance on safety Earl Thomas.
The new influx of free agents combined with their 2018 and 2019 draft class will keep the New England Patriots in the mix and looking strong for 2020 despite the possibility of being led by Blake Bortles after Brady calls it quits.