So far the Patriots are 2-0 with a point differential of +73, the best in the league. They have their best offensive weapons of the last two decades (arguably), and their defense never wavers. So here are the top 5 reasons why the Patriots could go undefeated again.
1.) Ease of Schedule
Mark McEwan, of SportsBettingDime, has a method of finding the strength of schedule that seems to be pretty accurate. McEwan took the projected win totals from BetOnline and added the projected win totals for each team’s opponents to project the strength of schedule. For example, to find the Detroit Lions strength of schedule, you would add up all the projected wins for the Lions’ opponents to get a 131.5 rating, 15th hardest in the NFL. Anyways, according to this, the New England Patriots have the easiest schedule this year, with a 117.5 rating, 3.5 less than the second easiest, the New York Jets. The first seven weeks they face extremely easy teams, with a shorthanded Steelers team, four games interdivision, then the Giants and Redskins, teams that are very limited offensively and defensively. There’s a bit of a tough patch weeks 9,11-14, but they have beaten all these teams before, and I have no doubt that they can beat them all again. The two toughest games for them this year will be week 12 and 14, against the Cowboys and Chiefs, and without any significant injuries or mistakes, they should be able to beat both of these teams.
2.) Offensive Weapons
The Patriots team this year will have the best offensive weapons of Tom Brady’s career, although it is arguable that the 2007 team is just as good. The team this year has Super Bowl MVPs Tom Brady and Julian Edelman, they got back Josh Gordon, and have great running backs, highlighted by Sony Michel and James White. They’re deep at the tight end position, and have a young backup quarterback in case Tom Brady gets injured. Lastly, they were able to get the best punter in the draft this year, giving opponents bad field position to start, which will help the defense.
3.) Unbreakable Defense
The defense seems to have picked up from where they left off, which is allowing only three points in the Super Bowl. Their ‘bend but not break’ defense has allowed only three points this year as well. While it was against two teams that are not so good offensively, their opponents don’t really improve throughout the year. With Gilmore and the J McCourty in the secondary, and Hightower and Van Noy as the linebackers, it will be extremely hard for opposing quarterbacks to complete passes. Then Michael Bennett on the line and JC Jackson and D McCourty as the defensive backs, the pressure on the opposing offensive lines might as well be insurmountable. Oh yeah and Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind.
4.) Bill Belichick
No matter how much upturn the Patriots’ coaching staff has, there is always one constant: Bill Belichick. Like I mentioned, Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind, and he is always able to outsmart enemy coaches. His defensive strategies are like no other, and he is a master at shutting down the best players, making other teams resort to plan B or plan C.
5.) The Small Stuff
The farthest away game is in Houston, limiting travel strain. The Patriots have own their last 14 games in Gillette stadium, longest home streak in the NFL. The leaders this year in the locker room are super strong, veteran leaders who won’t be caught up in any hype, and won’t let the young players get caught up either. Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown both looked great in their debuts, Flash against Pittsburgh and AB against the Dolphins. Lastly, the Patriots are in the worst division in the NFL.
All in all, the Patriots have an above average chance to go undefeated. Although fans hope they do, there have only been two teams to do so, the ‘07 Patriots and the ‘72 Dolphins team. What is more likely to happen is they go 14-2 or so, then make a deep playoff run. I am a Patriots fan, and hopefully this didn’t sound too biased!
Comments