The NFL has found a way to dominate news headlines regardless of whether the season is happening or not. It could be the draft, free agency, preseason, minicamps, whatever, there is always something happening in the news with football. It can be overwhelming at times, but at others it is a nice reminder that the season is right around the corner. One team in the news for the wrong reasons has been the New England Patriots.
Last year, the Patriots had an unexpectedly good season. They won their division, knocking the Buffalo Bills back down a bit. They had their second-year quarterback looking like an MVP candidate.
Their first-year (with the franchise) coach led them to a great turnaround. The team went 14-3 in the regular season. In their Wild Card round game, they crushed the Chargers 16-3. Then, against Houston, they destroyed the Texans in a forgettable game for quarterback C.J. Stroud. Finally, they took on the Broncos and barely beat them in the AFC Conference Championship.
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The biggest addition for the Patriots came recently as they traded for A.J. Brown. We know that when Brown is motivated, he can be one of the top wide receivers in the league. I think with this new team, he should be ready. He also goes to a pass-first quarterback instead of a run-first quarterback. They addressed some of their offensive line needs via the draft and free agency, and that could help. The biggest loss was Stefon Diggs, but he was replaced by Brown or even Romeo Doubs.
I like the offensive weapons that New England has surrounded Drake Maye with. There are very few positions that I feel like are lacking. I also think the team should still have a lot of strengths on defense. They have a good pass rush, and they have some solid players in the secondary. I don’t know that either will be elite, and most teams take a step back after the Super Bowl (especially after losses).
HOW THE DIANNA RUSSINI-MIKE VRABEL SCANDAL COULD DERAIL THE PATRIOTS' SEASON ON THE FIELD
After making it to the Super Bowl and being embarrassed, the expectation was that this season was going to be another step forward for the young club. Instead, most of the conversation this offseason has been about an alleged affair between their head coach, Mike Vrabel, and a reporter, Diana Russini. This will likely be a distraction until the season starts, as it seems like every few days, new pictures or pieces of the affair come out. I am bringing this up in a betting article because I think it is important to figure out if this will be a distraction or help the team focus on football. I’m sure there will be questions, but winning cures all.
Unfortunately, I don’t see them winning this year. Last year was a fluke to me. I need to see Maye do it again before I believe it. Vrabel will have his defense ready, but I like the under 10.5 for them.
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