New England Patriots: 3 bold predictions for the upcoming season
New England Patriots bold prediction No. 1: The Pats will go 10-7, make playoffs
A reasonable final record for the New England Patriots is very tough to predict. Everything seems like it depends on how Jones performs once the game matters. The problem is that’s the furthest thing from the truth.
This team is built to have a successful season, regardless of how Jones performs. The defense is going to be good enough to slow down even the best offenses in the league, and keep the team in games it probably shouldn’t be. It happened at times last season, as the Patriots pulled out unexpected wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals thanks in large part to their defense holding down the fort.
Even offensively, things aren’t going to rely on Jones as much as people think. He will largely be eased into the action; Belichick isn’t going to roll him out in Week 1 and dial up 30 passing plays. The team’s strength is their ground game, and it’s safe to assume they will be leading the offensive charge for at least the start of the season.
We saw similar issues come about last season when this strategy was implemented for the Cam Newton-led offense. The ultimate problem was that when teams loaded up to stop the run, Newton couldn’t hit on timely throws to keep drives alive.
So far, based on what we have seen from Jones, that shouldn’t be an issue. Jones top traits are his accuracy and decision-making, which we saw many times throughout the preseason action. He showed a major control of the offense that Newton appeared to lack last season, and even at times throughout camp and the preseason.
Jones won’t be entrusted with being the Patriots primary source of offense right off the bat. The running game will be expected to handle a majority of the work at the start, and quite frankly they are good enough to do so. But when a pass needs to be made to extend a drive on a third-and-six situation, it’s clear the coaching staff believes Jones is the guy after watching Newton fail time and again to convert last season.
Next. What to expect from a Mac Jones led offense. dark
If Jones can convert the majority of his throws and limit his mistakes, New England has an inside track to earning a wild card spot in the AFC. After facing the most difficult schedule last season and somehow clawing their way to a 7-9 record, their strength of schedule this season is just 19th, meaning they will face a much easier slate of opponents. Expect the New England Patriots to capitalize on this, and make their return to the playoffs after a one season hiatus.