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The New England Patriots will face a significant test in 2022, according to oddsmakers and analytics experts. The Patriots’ have the ninth-toughest strength of schedule in 2022, according to Sharp Football analytics.
Just how important can these rankings be for the Patriots’ 2022 projection? Well, here’s what Sharp wrote: “Of the 10 NFL teams that actually had the hardest 2021 schedules, only 3 went over their projected win total: Cardinals, Steelers, Raiders.” The Patriots, meanwhile, are projected to win 8.7 games. That hints at a potentially scary outcome for New England at this juncture of the season. Could an 8-9 season be on the horizon?
New England’s 2022 opponents are the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The AFC East seems to be growing more intimidating, too. Not only has Bills quarterback Josh Allen grown into an elite player, but Buffalo is spending huge money to stack his team with talent. Miami, too, has gotten extremely aggressive in their new regime under coach Mike McDaniel, with the Dolphins trading for receiver Tyreek Hill, among other moves.
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