New England Patriots
The New England Patriots made it to another NFL playoff. Regardless of the loss to Miami in Week 17, the Patriots do what they do—legal or not, loved or hated—and that’s simply football. The defense, though faltering lately, was the breadwinner in 2019, while Tom Brady and the offense held things together—scoring the seventh-most points in the regular season. It’s easy to dissect a perennial team such as the Patriots, but 12-4 makes that a complicated operation.
2020 Resolution: Protect the Hall of Fame goods. While a ton of finger-pointing can be made toward the Patriots’ lack of Gronk-type weapons, it’s the offensive line that seems to be a problem. Saying Tom Brady “isn’t getting any younger” is only a funny-yet-lazy slogan that masks the fact he was never fast/mobile and scouting him as slower is just comparing turtles at this point. He’s not out-maneuvering anyone, so the offensive line needs to do be solid, protecting Brady and allowing him time.