For most of Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach of the Patriots, the question has not been whether the team would make it to the playoffs but rather how far they will get once the postseason gets underway.
That appears to be the case this year as well. The Patriots enter the season as the heavy favorites in the AFC East and our panel puts them behind only the Broncos in the conference pecking order.
That’s just where they finished last season after losing to Denver in the AFC Championship Game and switching the order will likely have a lot to do with New England’s health this season. Losing Rob Gronkowski, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork and others left the Pats undermanned for their date with the Broncos, but all of the wounded are expected back this year.
Those returns along with the arrival of cornerback Darrelle Revis could be enough to lift New England back to the top of the heap. Check out the entire preview here and then let us know what you think about the Patriots heading into the 2014 season.
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