The New England Patriots will have their work cut out for them in an AFC East division loaded with talent this season. In a 2023 NFL season prediction piece, USA TODAY’s Nate Davis has the Patriots finishing last in the division with a 7-10 record.
This scenario is entirely plausible. The Buffalo Bills will clearly be a formidable force, and the Miami Dolphins should be able to make some noise with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, along with wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
On top of that, the New York Jets upgraded at the quarterback position, landing superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
New England did make new additions of their own, with offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien being the biggest one. The Patriots also landed wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki on the offensive side in free agency. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive end Keion White were the two headlining defensive picks for New England in the 2023 NFL draft.
To say New England made zero moves would be disingenuous. However, will those moves help move the needle enough for the team to win the division? Davis does not seem to think so.
He wrote:
The defense should be typically stout, and the offense again has a bona fide coordinator with the return of Bill O’Brien. But it doesn’t appear he’s working with much in the way of primo weaponry aside from RB Rhamondre Stevenson.
The Patriots will undoubtedly face a daunting task in trying to stop some of the best quarterbacks and young talent in the NFL. They also have the hardest schedule in the league, which is something that could hurt any chances of a potential bounce-back year.
New England needs to have a solid start to keep pace with not only their own division, but an incredibly tough AFC conference as well.
