Eliot Wolf overhauled the roster and Mike Vrabel instilled a new attitude that makes a postseason return feasible after an 8-26 two-season stretch. The Patriots project to finish 10-7 and second in the AFC East behind a dominant Bills team expected to win 13 or 14 games. Key strengths include a reloaded defense, favorable schedule, improved coaching, and upside from Drake Maye. Rhamondre Stevenson's fumbling issues are expected to be resolved, TreVeyon Henderson could contend for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Stefon Diggs will bolster the receiving corps. Closing tight games remains the main uncertainty.
It's a bit of a stretch to call a team that has gone 8-26 over the course of two seasons a playoff team. But thanks to the work Eliot Wolf put in over the offseason to reconstruct the Patriots, and the new attitude the team has under head coach Mike Vrabel, ending a three-year postseason drought is not a pipe dream.
The Patriots not only have an improved roster, but the combination of a favorable schedule and improved coaching will not only make a run at the postseason, but also be one of those teams that the top-tier teams like the Bills and the Ravens won't want to face late in the season. Patriots will post 10-7 record and finish 2nd in AFC East
Vrabel is the right coach for this bunch, and Maye could have the biggest second-year jump among the quarterbacks in his class. Those are the two biggest factors that could lead to New England surging up the AFC East. The other factors? The Dolphins appear to be a mess, with Mike McDaniel on the hot seat, and the Jets have a rookie head coach in Aaron Glenn and a roster with its fair share of flaws.
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