The New England Patriots will have their work cut out for them to finish with a winning record, much less make the playoffs in the 2023 season.
A brutal slate of opponents will test the many changes that came with the roster and coaching staff in the offseason. So what initially seemed like two steps forward might feel like two steps back for a Patriots team that has missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons.
With that said, it would be foolish to write the team off before they even step onto the field. The defense was already really good last season, and with the additions they’ve made through the NFL draft, they have the potential to be a top-three unit this time around.
As for the offense, they should be much-improved in that area with Bill O’Brien and Adrian Klemm joining the coaching staff. Time will tell if it’s enough to actually get them over the hump.
Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ 2023 schedule:
1
The level of difficulty is through the roof
The NFL gods weren’t smiling on the Patriots when the 2023 schedule was made.
It’s no surprise that fans are far less optimistic than they were a season ago, even with all of the needed changes to the roster and coaching staff. The Patriots are slated to face last year’s conference champions, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, all in the same season.
They also have scheduled run-ins with other expected playoff contenders, like the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. along with playing in arguably the toughest division in football, the AFC East.
The road to the playoffs will be tough for the Patriots with a murderer’s row slate of opponents facing them. Some might even go as far as saying a postseason berth is downright impossible. Just look at the disappointed Twitter reactions following Thursday’s schedule release.
2
Patriots offense will be tested early
Mac Jones and company will have to hit the ground running to survive the onslaught of top-tier defenses early in the schedule.
The Eagles were already a great team defensively, but after the draft, they’re on the verge of becoming a juggernaut. If the Patriots’ offensive line can’t hold up in the trenches, Jones will be treated with enough sack lunches to feed an entire elementary school field trip.
It will also be a great test for newly-hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who will see his unit thrown into the fire right out of the gates. After the game against the Eagles, the Patriots will host a Miami Dolphins defense that just added Jalen Ramsey in free agency, along with a highly underrated New York Jets defense.
3
Belichick's draft strategy is clear now
There were grumblings from some media analysts and fans regarding the Patriots’ decision to pass on taking one of the top receivers in the 2023 draft.
Instead, coach Bill Belichick made the decision to load up on all three levels of the defense by taking cornerback Christian Gonzalez, edge rusher Keion White and linebacker Marte Mapu with the first three picks.
Given the brutal strength of schedule, the Patriots will continue to put as many resources as they can into beefing up the defense in an effort to keep games low scoring. It’s not necessarily true that defense wins championships, but it is true that having a great defense can make games more manageable.
Jones and the offense aren’t going to magically turn into an explosive unit overnight, but they can be good enough to pull out tough wins with better coaching and less mistakes. However, the sticking point is the defense playing well enough to give them a fighting chance.
4
More than one "revenge" game on the Patriots' schedule
Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson admitted he was looking forward to facing the Patriots in Week 13. He called it a “revenge game” and said he wanted to “pick off” Jones.
The Patriots weren’t willing to offer the former undrafted rookie free agent the hefty contract the Chargers put on the table. Like any player, Jackson wants to go into New England and prove Belichick and company got it wrong for ever letting him walk out the door.
Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers will have a chance to do the same thing as well in Week 6. The Patriots are slated to go to the desert for a head-to-head showdown with the Raiders. Meyers was also a former undrafted rookie free agent that wasn’t offered the contract he wanted to stay with the Patriots.
5
Will the prime-time stretch stand at the end of the season?
In the final stretch of the schedule for the Patriots, they are slated for three prime-time games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills.
But will they have a good enough record to keep the two Sunday games against the Broncos and Bills from getting flexed to a different time slot?
That’s definitely something to keep an eye on late in the season. The thought of those matchups look good on paper right now, but it could be a completely different story if it’s a dumpster fire in New England by the month of December.
It’s a relentless 2023 schedule for a Patriots team with few real breaks.
