Chris Hu said:
I'm pretty sure there will be a 2020 NFL season but more then likely they will have to play some games in empty stadiums especially in LA and NY. The Bucs are legit contenders in the NFC. The Patriots will probably be no better then 6-10 the Bills will easily win the AFC East and should be better then the Patriots for some time to come. |
Perhaps the Bills win the East, but come on, 6-10 for the Patriots? They were easily the #1 defense in the league last year, and virtually the entire starting roster on that side of the ball is back. That alone sets the floor at 8 wins, imo. Throw in still having the greatest coach of all time and the best special teams in the league, and I think 10-11 wins is still very attainable.
Obviously losing Brady hurts, no one will dispute that. But let's also not forget that since the Brady/Belichick era began, the Patriots are 13-6 in games that Brady hasn't started. The NFL's certainly unpredictable, so I'll never call anything in this league impossible, but probably 6-10 or worse feels like an insult for a team that returns most of what was the league's best defense last year. It's worth noting that you have to go all the way back to 2010 to find a team with the best defense that missed the playoffs, and that only happened because the team with the best defense that year (the Chargers) lost five games because their special teams allowed a touchdown or a blocked punt that served as the margin of victory. Despite all of that, that team still won 9 games.
Throw in the league's best special teams, and the fact that New England is still being run by the most successful coach in NFL history, and I'd personally be very surprised if they finish below .500.
Last edited by MTZehvor - on 24 April 2020
