New England Patriots: 3 bold predictions for the upcoming season
Excitement for the New England Patriots upcoming season continues to grow. With less than 10 days until the Pats Week 1 opener against the Miami Dolphins, the anticipation is soaring through the roof. Only adding to the growing sense of exciting in New England was the recent announcement that Mac Jones won the starting quarterback job after a solid training camp performance.
With all that being said, things are looking up for the Patriots. Fans and players alike are expecting this team to outproduce last season’s unfulfilling 7-9 squad. And considering all the work put in over the offseason to revamp this roster, there’s good reason to expect an improvement in the win-loss department.
Realistically speaking, expectations are going to have to be readjusted for this team now that Jones is under center for New England. We had at least seen Cam Newton in action last season and had some idea how the offense would look, but now that Newton is no longer on the team, we don’t have much to go off of anymore. Jones looked good in preseason, but nobody really knows what to expect from him once the real games start up.
It’s clear though that this team’s potential is much brighter with Jones under center than Newton. Jones could fail miserably, but there’s also just as good a chance he lights things up. There’s really no telling what will happen until the games start though. Despite that, let’s take a look at three bold predictions for this Patriots team that could end up happening if things go right for them.
New England Patriots bold prediction No. 3: The defense will be a top five unit
New England’s defense last season left a lot to be desired. While they featured a solid secondary unit, their front seven was depleted for most of the season. The run defense was getting destroyed for most of the season, and when the secondary tried to step up and help, opposing offenses would attack them in the passing game with much success.
It became clear early on that the Patriots defense this season is a marked improvement from the worn down unit we saw last season. Improvements were made at just about every single position on the defensive depth chart, and it will be exciting to see them in action come Week 1.
Starting on the defensive line, the Patriots are looking to make sure their run defense is much better than last season’s. Lawrence Guy is back in the fold after being the Pats best run defender on the line last season, and it looks like his new partner in crime will be Davon Godchaux to start the season. Godchaux specialized as a run defender in his previous tenure with the Dolphins, and he will look to offer an instant replacement to Adam Butler, who left over the offseason.
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On the edge, Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy will step up and instantly improve a desolate New England Pass rush. The Patriots finished last season with just 24 sacks, and their team leader, Chase Winovich, won’t even have a starting role on this defense anymore. Alongside these three, Josh Uche will look to build off a solid training camp and try to create a role for himself in a suddenly crowded position.
Dont’a Hightower will return to the fold this season as well to help out last season’s mainstay Ja’Whaun Bentley. Bentley appeared overwhelmed at times last season after having to pick up some major slack in Hightower’s absence, but he should be set to enjoy a season working alongside the experienced Hightower.
The secondary didn’t have many additions, but that’s because they didn’t really need too many. J.C. Jackson, Jonathan Jones, and Jalen Mills will lead the cornerback depth chart. Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, and Kyle Dugger will see most of the snaps at safety. Add in Stephon Gilmore’s potential return later on this season, and this unit is set.
Put that all together and you have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. After being a punching bag for the rest of the league last season, the Patriots defense was superb in the preseason, and they will look to keep that up in the regular season. Don’t be surprised if New England’s defense finishes the season among the top five units in the league.