Season Prediction: The Patriots will have an 11-5 season record. They will lose in the second round of the playoffs.
The loss of Julian Edelman to an ACL injury is a huge blow to the Patriots’ offense. The major reason is Edelman has great quickness as a solid receiver. Also, his experience working with Tom Brady is notable. Edelman typically has had 100 catches and over 1,000 yards receiving annually. His role as a slot receiver was mainly to get open for short passes. The Patriots can’t replace that with one receive, so they’re using their depth on the team.
There was lot of praise during the off season for the trades and signings the Patriots made. Everyone expected another Super Bowl trip when looking at the Patriots’ roster. Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore were both extremely significant off season signings. Cooks was a number one draft choice two years ago and is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL. He had two seasons of almost 1,000 yards receiving in New Orleans. Gilmore was an all pro cornerback for the last several seasons with Buffalo and viewed as a significant upgrade.
The Patriots also signed running back Mike Gillislee to take over the primary running role held previously by LeGarrette Blount. They also signed free agents Rex Burkhead (a combination runner – receiver) and linebacker Marquis Flowers. The loss of Julian Edelman led to a trade bringing on wide receiver Phillip Dorset from Indy. In addition, they signed linebacker Donte Hightower, cornerback Donte Hightower, cornerback Malcolm Butler, and special teams Brandon Bolden. The Patriots let go Blount, tight end Martellus Bennet, and defensive end Chris Long among others.
I began this article in week three. What I see as key now for the team to achieve that 11-5 season or better is a big need to patch holes in their defense. In the first five weeks the front seven on defense showed a limited ability to stop the run or rush the passer. There was significant improvement in week five during their win over Tampa Bay. In the losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Carolina Panthers, both QB’s Alex Smith and Cam Newton shredded the Patriots’ secondary by throwing all day. The running back Kareem Hunt from KC and Newton also killed them via the run.
The hope in Patriots Nation is that Coach Belichick and his staff will build different schemes to improve the defense as they have done so in the past. The Patriots need to patch some holes in their defense to have a successful season. They cannot stop the run and have limited pass running ability.
Even though their record is 4-2, I hope that Patriots are inspiring everyone and will win the 2017 – 2018 Super Bowl. However, I cannot see the Patriots repeating as champions because the defense has looked weak in the first six games. It’s hard to think that it’s going to get better. The offense, as is, is going to need to score a lot of points to make the 11-5 prediction.