The New England Patriots had high expectations in 2019 when it became clear their defense was one of the league’s best. The offense seemed to have impressive firepower, too, when the Patriots put together receivers Josh Gordon, Antonio Brown and Julian Edelman. It seemed like the right group to cope with the departure of Rob Gronkowski.
While the defense put together an impressive season, the offense did not — and Brown and Gordon didn’t stick around for long. A number of players fell off through the course of the 2019 season, and if New England is to sustain its successful run, it will need better production out of its stars. So here’s a look at six players who regressed in 2019, but should be better in 2020.
1. Sony Michel, RB
This prediction is more about Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick than it is about Michel. The Patriots running back was pretty bad in his second season with New England. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry. Belichick tried to sugarcoat the season for Michel. The young running back tried to stay positive. And though he struggled, the team stuck with him through 247 carries (and not enough good ones). All the while, running back Damien Harris, a 2019 third-round draft choice who was apparently too good to pass up, stayed on the bench. So the Patriots trusted Michel to improve in 2019. It didn’t really happen. They’ll probably trust him to improve in 2020, in part because Belichick invested a first-round pick in Michel. The coach (and GM) really wants the running back to succeed.