The New England Patriots have been a staple of the AFC West in recent years. The team has consistently finished first or second in the division and features a plethora of young talent on its roster. They should continue to be contenders once again in the coming seasons, but they have some holes to fill before then. Despite their offensive line having issues last year, they scored 30 points per game.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw his passing efficiency dip from 118th in the league to 139th last season, but he showed promise despite that. If he improves his accuracy and continues to gain experience under center, the Patriots could become even more dangerous offensively next year. Offensive tackle Cam Erving is among the best at his position and anchors one of the top offensive lines in football. Center Mitch Morse may struggle in pass protection at times and was just average overall last year, but he’ll be missed if he leaves via free agency this offseason.
Teams will have to bring their own offensive linemen if they want to sign Morse away (or if they don’t have him on their radar). With Tye Smith retiring after 16 NFL seasons, nose tackle Chris Martin takes on an even bigger role for them going forward as well. However, the team doesn’t really have another high-quality interior presence opposite Martin right now (outside of Erving). They’ll need to add new bodies along their defensive front over time as well if they want to keep up with other teams around
Quarterback Outlook
Mahomes has a lot of potential, but he’ll need to improve his accuracy and decision making if he wants to become an elite quarterback. He can make up for mistakes by throwing the ball down the field. He has an arm that is capable of throwing deep balls with ease, but teams will have to make him pay for it. The defense made him pay last year though, as they sacked him eight times and intercepted four passes in a game against the Chargers. The Patriots ranked 31st in points allowed per game last season and surrendered too many yards through the air.
Running Back Outlook
Despite all the changes on offense, there is one thing that won’t change. The Patriots will continue to run the football. They rushed for over 100 yards per game last season and have a stable of backs that should lead to more success in the coming years. Kareem Hunt was spectacular as a rookie and has proved to be a #1 back in the NFL. Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West, and Damien Williams will also share carries with Hunt and make things tougher on opposing defenses. With Mahomes taking over at quarterback, they’ll need to find players who can help him out in coverage and take pressure off of him downfield.
They already have plenty of talent in the receiving corps (with Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Albert Wilson, Travis Kelce, Demarcus Robinson), but could use some help from outside if they want to take their passing attack even further next year. If they can find another guy who can effectively block on passing downs or play as an H-back/slot receiver type role like Kelce does for them now, it would really help their offense overall.
Wide Receiver Outlook
The team replaced Sammy Watkins with Tyreek Hill and drafted Mecole Hardman out of Georgia this year. Hill has shown he can make big plays on offense, but he’s also been inconsistent in recent years. The team needs to hope that their new crop of speedsters will get used to pro football. They also need to find a capable slot receiver for Mahomes after the departure of Demarcus Robinson. Their top three receivers combined for 73 receptions and under 1,000 yards last year, and they’ll need someone who can take advantage of the extra attention that Hill ill receive.
The Patriots have made it known that they will be looking at free agency this offseason while they still have plenty of cap space available. They could use a veteran presence in the wide receiver corps to help ease some of the pressure off young guys like Hill and Hardman. If they want to take on a bigger contract, there are plenty of available veterans still on the market as well.
Tight End Outlook
The Patriots had a phenomenal tight end last year in Travis Kelce. The former Cincinnati Bearcat led the NFL with 1,125 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 91 receptions. He’s been a reliable target for Mahomes throughout his career, but he’s not likely to get an extension anytime soon. As a result, the Patriots will need to find and develop new targets for their offense in the coming seasons if they want to continue to be successful.
They finished with the seventh-most receiving yards out of all NFL teams last season with 679. They also had 16 receiving touchdowns, which was seventh-most in the league as well. With Tyreek Hill being traded away this offseason, they could use some help at wide receiver going forward as well. They may look into free agency or the draft to fill that void (or both).
The New England Patriots are one of the best teams in the AFC West division and have plenty of room for improvement before 2022-23 season ends. If you’re looking for a team that will give you value on what you spend, the New England Patriots is your choice!
Defensive Line Outlook
The Patriots focus on their defensive line often, and they have done a good job of it lately. But the team could use some upgrades to the group. They should look for help this offseason as they need someone to step up opposite Chris Martin or fill in at nose tackle. The Patriots will also need to find a new replacement for Justin Houston if he leaves via free agency.
Overall, the Patriots should be in contention next year and are poised for another strong season with Patrick Mahomes leading their offense. The defense should finally get what it needs by improving its performance over the last few seasons, giving them a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. The New England Patriots rely on Patrick Mahomes and other young talent to lead them next season but need to add more depth before then
Defensive Backfield Outlook
The Patriots’ defensive backfield has been one of the better units in football in recent years, with standout performances from safeties Eric Berry and Tyrann Mathieu. However, they were plagued by inconsistency last season as they allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a passer rating of 127.2 when throwing in their direction. Cornerback Kendall Fuller missed the majority of last season with injuries and is a question mark heading into next year, but he should be able to get back to form if he can stay healthy.
As for cornerback Steven Nelson, who had a down year after starting all 16 games in 2018, the team could look to upgrade him if he doesn’t rebound. The Patriots have a lot of depth at the position with Darius Slay Jr., Tremon Smith, and Charvarius Ward all expected to see significant playing time this coming season.
Special Teams Outlook
Special teams could be a major area of concern for the Patriots going forward, as they ranked 31st in special teams DVOA last year. Their punt return was 26th in the league last year and their kick return was 25th. Other than that, they were just average in field goal percentage and touchback percentage. The defense is less worrisome, as they ranked seventh overall in special teams DVOA, but it’s still not a strength.
The Patriots have a lot of young players on their special team units and will need to bulk up elsewhere if they want to compete with the top teams in the AFC West and AFC overall. New England Patriots Outlook for the 2022-23 Season The New England Patriots have been a staple of the AFC West in recent years. The team has consistently finished first or second in the division and features a plethora of young talent on its roster. They should continue to be contenders once again in the coming seasons, but they have some holes to fill before then.
Despite their offensive line having issues last year, they scored 30 points per game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw his passing efficiency dip from 118th in the league to 139th last season, but he showed promise despite that. If he improves his accuracy and continues to gain experience under center, the Patriots could become even more dangerous offensively next year. Offensive tackle Cam Erving is among the best at his position and anchors one of the top offensive lines in football
Here’s to the Future: New England Patriots outlook for the future
Teams that have a young core and stay committed to building their team will be the ones to beat in coming years. The Patriots have a lot of young talent and have made the playoffs more than any other AFC West team in the last two years. They also had the second highest scoring offense in 2018 (with Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback), so they can continue to score points effectively. The only issue is that they lost a lot of players from their offensive line, but if Patrick Mahomes continues to progress, that shouldn’t impact them too much. New England Patriots Outlook for the 2022-23 Season The New England Patriots have been a staple of the AFC West in recent years.
The team has consistently finished first or second in the division and features a plethora of young talent on its roster. They should continue to be contenders once again in the coming seasons, but they have some holes to fill before then. Despite their offensive line having issues last year, they scored 30 points per game. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw his passing efficiency dip from 118th in the league to 139th last season, but he showed promise despite that. If he improves his accuracy and continues to gain experience under center, the Patriots could become even more dangerous offensively next year.
