NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 2021 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

For all the rejoicing about the New England Patriots posting their first losing season in two decades under Bill Belichick last season, they actually weren’t that far away from being a playoff team. Four of their nine losses were by a single score, including a 24-21 nailbiter at the Buffalo Bills. If one play in those games flips, the Pats could have been 11-5 and looking at a Wild Card.

But it didn’t and the Patriots were in the odd position and needing to make some real changes heading into a new season, especially after their former quarterback, Tom Brady, led his new team to the Super Bowl, definitively answering the “Was it Brady or Belichick?’ question for good.

No team was more active in free agency and with good reason. It’s been a while since New England drafted particularly well and considering they had to spend their first round pick on a QB who won’t see the field in 2021, the jury will be out on this last amateur player selection for at least another year.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Last season: 7-9, 3^rd place AFC East

2021 odds: under 9.5 wins -130, over 9.5 wins +100

2021 NFL Draft: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama – Round 1, Chirsitan Barmore, DT, Alabama – Round 2, Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma – Round 3, Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma – Round 4, Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan – Round 5, Joshua Bledoe, Safety, Missouri – Round 6, William Sherman, OT, Colorado – Round 6, Tre Nixon, WR, UCF – Round 7

UDFAs: Quinn Nordin, K – Michigan

Acquisitions: Matt Judon, Edge – Free Agent, Trent Brown, RT – Trade, Kyle Van Noy, Edge – Free Agent, Hunter Henry, TE – Free Agent, Henry Anderson, DL – Free Agent, Jalen Mills, Safety – Free Agent, Kendrick Bourne, WR – Free Agent, Ted Karrass, C – Free Agent, Raekwon McMillan, LB – Free Agent, Nelson Agholor, WR – Free Agent, Alex Redmond, RG – Free Agent, Adrian Colbert, Safety – Free Agent, Montravius Adams, DL – Free Agent, Jonnu Smith, TE – Free Agent, Marvin Hall, WR – Free Agent, Troy Fumagalli, TE – Free Agent, Ryan Izzo, TE – Free Agent, Harvey Langi, LB – Free Agent

Key Losses: Joe Thuney – LG, Julian Edleman – Retired, Beau Allen – DL, Adam Butler – DL, Jermaine Eluemunor – RG, John Simon – Edge, Rex Burkhead – RB, Terrence Brooks – Safety, Damiere Byrd – WR, Shalique Calhoun – LB, Marquise Lee –WR, Brandon Copeland – LB, Donte Moncrief – WR, Ryan Izzo – TE

PRESUMED STARTERS

QB: Cam Newton

RB: Damien Harris

WR: Jakobi Meyers

WR: Nelson Agholor

WR: Kendrick Bourne

TE: Hunter Henry

FB: Jakob Johnson

LT: Isaiah Wynn

LG: Mike Onwenu

C: David Andrews

RG: Shaq Mason

RT: Trent Brown

LDE: Larence Guy

NT: Davon Godchaux

RDE: Henry Anderson

OLB: Matt Judon

LILB: Ja’Whaun Bentley

RILB: Don’t’a Hightower

OLB: Kyle Van Noy

CB: J.C. Jackson

CB: Stephon Gilmore

SS: Adrian Phillips

FS: Devin McCourty

K: Nick Folk

P: Jack Bailey

FORECAST

New England has a friendly schedule over the first half of the season. While they will play the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and Brady) in Week 4 and the Miami Dolphins to open the season at Foxboro, They won’t face a 2020 AFC playoff team until Oct. 24 (Week 10). Not that all the teams they’ll play are cupcakes, just unknowns – like the New Orleans Saints without Drew Brees in Week 3.

The Problem for the Pats is, while they will be better, they won’t be good enough to leapfrog other teams that have just moved past them like the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins. It doesn’t help Belichick at all, in his Pats rebuild, that the AFC East has finally decided to take hiring head coaches and general managers seriously for the first time in his Hall of Fame tenure.

Final Record Prediction: 9-8

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