All the New England Patriots do under Tom Brady is win football games. With a NFL-high tying 13 victories last year, the Pats have won at least 12 games in eight consecutive seasons and hit the 10-win mark every year since 2003. There was the typical amount of turmoil following the loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, and once again the roster had some significant turnover. But no coach is better at putting players in a position to win than Bill Belichick and no quarterback is as good as Brady. As long as those two remain with the Pats, they are contenders.
New England Patriots Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots Over 11 Wins -130
New England Patriots Under 11 Wins +108
2018 New England Patriots Offense Preview
There was an expectation that Brady’s production would slow down last season. And the season before that. And the season before that. It hasn’t happened and there really is no reason to believe it’s going to happen in 2018, even though he is 41. In fact, Brady had one of his best seasons in 2017 with league-highs in pass attempts and passing yards while tossing 32 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. It doesn’t matter who surrounds Brady, he simply makes them better.
There will be new faces among the group of receivers with Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola no longer around. Julian Edelman returns after sitting out last season with an injury, but he will miss the first quarter of the year due to a suspension. Chris Hogan caught 34 passes last year, and Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett will also play a prominent role. Rob Gronkowksi will be Brady’s go-to guy and is dangerous weapon in the red zone. The Pats led the NFL in yards and ranked second in points per game and they should be just as dangerous in 2018.
2018 New England Patriots Defense Preview
The bend-but-don’t-break philosophy finally caught up with the Pats in the Super Bowl. They allowed teams to mosey up and down the field all season, only to stiffen when it mattered. The Pats were 29th in the league giving up 366 yards per game, but they allowed just 18.5 points to rank 5th. They weren’t so lucky against the Eagles, who moved the ball and scored easily against the unit. The Pats made uncharacteristic mistakes, couldn’t generate a pass rush and looked slow compared to other top defenses around the league.
That leaves plenty of work for Belichick and Brian Flores now that Matt Patricia is gone. One objective was to get stronger up front and the Pats did that by acquiring Danny Shelton and Adrian Clayborn, adding them to a line that includes Deatrich Wise and Trey Flowers. The group is better and deeper and a more consistent pass rush will help a secondary that struggled last season. But they’ll have to move on without Malcolm Butler, who teamed with Stephon Gilmore to form a formidable pair of cornerbacks.
2018 New England Patriots Schedule Analysis
The Pats have the benefit of playing the Jets, Bills and Dolphins twice each and they’ve taken care of business against their division brethren by winning nine of the last 10 division games. The AFC South will pose a problem, especially at the beginning of the season with games against Houston and an AFC Championship Game rematch in Jacksonville.
Being the class of the AFC East, there’s always a chance the Pats sit starters at the end of the season to rest for the playoffs, and the road to the postseason looks freshly paved once again. If that happens we might see New England fall below the win total. But the Pats have won at least 12 games in eight seasons and there’s a good chance they do it again.
The Final Verdict
The offense is diverse and stocked with play makers, and as long as Brady is behind center the Pats should be one of the top units in the league. Tom Terrific continues to function at a high rate despite his age and being the competitor that he is, it’s doubtful we see any regression in 2018. And the Pats are the Pats because of him.
Belichick is the best at finding players and plugging them into the system. There were issues on the defensive side last season and the team took steps to fix those, become stronger up front and faster in the secondary. It’s getting boring to say this year after year, but as long as Brady and Belichick work toward the same goal, there are no distractions. And that makes the Pats favorites to not only win the AFC East, but compete for another Super Bowl.
NFL Betting Odds: New England Patriots Over 11 Wins
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