New England Patriots: Taking A Look at the 2021-22 Season

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It had been a long time since we have said the New England Patriots did not make the postseason. That streak ended at 11 last year. The team finished 7-9, third place in the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills took the AFC East crown. In the division, they were 3-3. The Patriots were 1-1 against the Miami Dolphins, 2-0 versus the New York Jets, and 0-2 against the Buffalo Bills. New England also sat back and watched former quarterback Tom Brady lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the franchise’s second Super Bowl Championship. So head coach Bill Belichick made some changes. The biggest upgrade is that they will get some players that sat out last year due to Covid-19. The Patriots were also out to find Brady’s replacement in the first round of the draft when they picked Mac Jones from the Alabama Crimson Tide. Let’s take a look at the 2021-22 season.

The offense was primarily run under Cam Newton. Newton is back this year and so far is on track to be the starter until Belichick changes his mind. The offense was able to score points last year. The three players that I will be watching on the offensive side of the ball are Mac Jones, Damien Harris, and Nelson Agholor. During the first two preseason games, Mac Jones has looked good. I know many will say that you should not look too much into what happens during the preseason. On the other hand, I think it is very important for Cam Newton that the offense has looked good under Jones. Damien Harris has also stood out and with that came the trade of Sony Michel. The one aspect where the New England Patriots have not had a good wide receiver. Nelson Agholor will help provide that depth the Patriots need.

The defense will be much better this year. I know that Patrick Chung retired and he was one of the players that decided to sit out because of the scare of Covid-19. One of the players that I will be watching and returning is Dont’a Hightower. Hightower is one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Having him back will be a huge impact on the defense. Kyle Van Noy, who played with the Miami Dolphins, has come back and is ready to hit the field once again in a New England Patriots uniform. I will also be watching Devin McCourty as he has been one that has been the backend of the defensive backfield for the Patriots for a long time. This defense will help New England win more games in 2021. There will be other players on the defense that will also help.

With a 17 week schedule, there are games that we all will watch. The three games for the New England Patriots in 2021. Outside of their divisional games, the three that I will be watching are week five vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 10 vs Cleveland Browns, and week 12 vs Tennessee Titans. In week five it will be the first time Tom Brady returns to New England as an opponent. The crowd will probably both boo and cheer for him. I will be looking to see what the interaction between Brady and Belichick will be. The next one comes against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are a team that made it to the postseason last year. The last one is against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were the final team that Brady played as the Titans eliminated them in the playoffs.

This season will be different for the New England Patriots. This team can win more than the seven games they won in 2020. The defense will be better with players who sat last year returning. The offense will hinge on who the starting quarterback is. Many believe that Cam Newton will start and when he does struggle then it will be turned over to Mac Jones. All of those decisions will come from coach Belichick. After looking at the schedule this team could win 10 to 11 games this year. That should get them to the postseason. There will be some interesting games as the AFC East might be a three-team race with the Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. It should be a good year in 2021 for New England.