Tom Brady and the New England Patriots shocked the world with an incredible comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Down by 25 points with a little more than a quarter of football left to play, New England found a way to win their fifth title in the free agency and salary cap era. The Patriots may have lost veteran defensive end Chris Long and the solid slot corner back Logan Ryan, but Coach and GM Bill Belichick wasted no time upgrading both positions. Belichick signed former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl corner, Stephon Gilmore and traded for defensive end Kony Ealy from the Carolina Panthers.
The drama with Super Bowl 49 hero, Malcolm Butler, appears to be over after he signed his Restricted Free Agent tender and rejoined the team in OTAs. The Patriots defense will be one of the best in the league again.
Will the offense be as potent as 2007?
On the offensive side of the ball, soon to be 40 year old quarter back, five time Super Bowl champion, and four time Super Bowl MVP, Tom Brady appears to show no signs of slowing down. The Patriots acquired a stud receiver from the New Orleans Saints, Brandin Cooks who has home run speed and is extremely difficult to contain. Cooks will create match up nightmares for opposing defenses with the likes of Julian Edelman, a presumably healthy Rob Gronkowski, deceptive deep threat Chris Hogan, second year receiver Malcolm Mitchell, and the plethora of talent in the Patriots' backfield.
The Patriots offense will be potent and score an average of 30 to 35 points per game on their way to having one of the most dynamic and complex offensive attacks in the league.
Upcoming season outlook
On paper, the New England Patriots are a much more talented team than their last two Super Bowl winning teams. Looking ahead to the 2017 season, the Patriots should have no issue getting a top two seed and a first round bye.
Playing for the AFC East title at this point has become just a formality. The New York Jets and Buffalo Bills continue to have an abysmal outlook. The Miami Dolphins on the other hand appear to at least be trending in the right direction. However, they are still not capable of being a legitimate contender for the top spot in the AFC East and knocking the Patriots off their perch.
Outside of the AFC East, the top two threats in the conference are the Steelers and the Raiders. Both teams are on the schedule this season so we will get a chance to see how they match up before the playoffs. It will come as a surprise to no one if New England returns to their record setting 7th straight AFC Championship Title appearance and another Super Bowl. If they win the Super Bowl again, it will be the second time Bill Belichick and Tom Brady win three Super Bowls in Four Seasons as well as back to back titles.
