As if the New England Patriots needed more bad news.
NFL analytics expert Warren Sharp put together a strength of schedule rankings based on projected win totals from Las Vegas oddsmakers, and the Patriots are listed as the team with the hardest schedule in the 2023 season.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the massive leap of improvement in the AFC East division. The Buffalo Bills are perennial Super Bowl contenders, and the Miami Dolphins are knocking on the door. Meanwhile, the New York Jets are expected to pull off a trade for Green Bay Packers legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers at some point.
The Patriots will have a hard enough time staying competitive in their own division.
They’re also expected to have run-ins with both teams that competed in Super Bowl LVII, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. It really will be an uphill climb for a Patriots team that has missed the playoffs in two of their last three seasons.
They’ll need a big draft or perhaps even a blockbuster trade (I’m looking at you DeAndre Hopkins and Jerry Jeudy) to put themselves in position to survive the hardest and most important season they’ve seen in quite some time.
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