Tag: Patriots predictions

Patriots Wire staff game picks and scores for Patriots-Eagles game

The official game picks and scores from the Patriots Wire staff are in!

Gillette Stadium will serve as the backdrop for the New England Patriots’ regular season opener against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

On paper, this seems like an easy matchup for the Eagles. They are the far more talented football team, and the Patriots’ offensive line has been held together by paperclips and glue sticks throughout training camp and the preseason.

With that said, this is the first game of the season, and the Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl loss. The stingy and talented Patriots defense combined with Bill O’Brien returning as the offensive play-caller in New England creates all sorts of trap potential for this game.

But is that potential good enough for any of the Patriots Wire staff writers to actually pick the Patriots to win the game? Here’s the full round-up of picks for the Week 1 matchup:

Jordy McElroy (0-0) – Eagles 20, Patriots 24

Danny Jaillet (0-0) – Eagles 31, Patriots 17

Cam Garrity (0-0) – Eagles 27, Patriots 21

Michael Braithwaite (0-0) – Eagles 21, Patriots 24

What are your thoughts on Sunday’s game? Will the Patriots pull off the upset at home? You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

What is the Patriots’ ceiling and floor potential in 2023 season?

This is a pretty low ceiling for the Patriots.

Expectations are mixed in regards to how the New England Patriots will play in 2023.

The offensive and defensive units have been improved, but New England also has the hardest schedule in the NFL. Quarterback Mac Jones will need a bounce-back year. And he is just one of the many personnel questions New England has facing them this season.

The good news is the Patriots should have a revamped offense with coordinator Bill O’Brien at the helm. O’Brien’s experience and ability to maximize strengths with his offensive system will be important for New England.

ESPN released their win-loss record ceilings and floors recently, and the Patriots were not reviewed favorably, coming in as the fifth-worst team in the rankings, as noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.  The Patriots have a 10-7 ceiling and a 5-12 floor.

Reiss wrote:

This could be one of the best defenses in Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure as Patriots head coach. The unit finished 2022 as one of the league’s best and lost just one player, as longtime safety and team captain Devin McCourty retired. The Patriots led the NFL in defensive retention and also used their first three draft picks on defenders who could carve out immediate roles in cornerback Christian Gonzalez, defensive end Keion White and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu.

The defense will undoubtedly be relied on heavily throughout the course of the season. As Reiss notes, this unit has the potential to be one of the best units Belichick has ever coached.

It would not be a stretch to say, given the level of difficulty with the schedule, how the defense plays will ultimately determine how the season as a whole shakes out.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Patriots game-by-game, record predictions for 2023 season

The Patriots Wire staff make their game-by-game predictions for the Patriots’ 2023 season.

The New England Patriots face long odds in overcoming a daunting 2023 regular season schedule, but they’ve put the pieces in place through free agency and the draft to at least give themselves a fighting chance.

Sure, the AFC East is much-improved, but there are still questions across the board that tug at the notion that the division has suddenly morphed into an unmatchable juggernaut for the Patriots.

Will Tua Tagovailoa’s health hold up for the Miami Dolphins long-term? Are we starting to see cracks in the Buffalo Bills’ locker room? Is a 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers really good enough to get the New York Jets over the hump?

The Patriots Wire staff weighs all of that and more into consideration when making our official predictions for the Patriots’ season. We’re taking it game-by-game and finishing with an overall record prediction at the end.