We've all heard the schedule allegations and the jokes about how we didnt beat any real teams. I get it, the schedule was weak. However, Drake Maye showed more than enough that he's the QB of the future, Gonzalez Davis and Jones as well as Byard back at safety make up the best secondary in the NFL, AJ Brown is inevitably coming and if Diggs comes back it would be an elite duo. All this along with some of the best coaching in the NFL, the patriots are poised for another run

The layout

Starting the season on the road against Seattle, maybe this is a hot take, but I think we handle this one. Seahawks have lost critical pieces on both sides of the ball, including key defensive stars, their Super Bowl MVP running back and their OC. Gonzalez had JSNs number, and without a run game to establish their offense isn't going to be able to get the ball moving. Patriots start off with a revenge road win.

Next up we got Pittsburgh. This pass rush will certainly struggle against a solid steelers line, but once it does penetrate it, Rodgers ain't exactly a mobile QB. DK and Pittman are a great duo no doubt, but Gonzo will handle whoever they establish as WR1, leaving it to one option. The secondary is nothing special, and Maye shouldn't have much issues putting up points. This game being in Gillette too, thats a 2nd win on the board for Vrabels squad.

Back on the road again as we fly down to Florida and take on the Jaguars. This one's going to be tough, I for now have it written down as a loss, but let's evaluate how we could win. Their run defense is unstoppable, but their running attack lacks severely. Their secondary is again not great, which Drake Maye should be able to dissect. Trevor is also gonna struggle to do a ton against this secondary, but he might get enough time to throw and figure it out. 3-0 definitely not out of the cards.

Back up to the Northeast to play the bills in Highmark. Again have this one written off as a loss for now, but it isn't out of reach. Josh Allen is definitely going to move the ball no matter how good the secondary is, that's just what Josh Allen does. However, the defense we will be able to take advantage of. Where our defense can get an advantage is forcing Josh to use his legs, which with their lackluster receiving room I think is possible. This game could tip either way, lets hope it falls in our favor.

Heading on home where the raiders come to Gillette. Their WR room is atrocious, which our CBs will surely take care of pretty easily. Doesn't matter if its Kirk Cousins or Fernando, can't pass the ball if your WRs are under clamps. Jeanty should have a decent day, but it won't be enough to save them. Drake Maye will struggle a bit but get it done, another game that should be in the bag pretty easily.

Jets at home. I'm not gonna waste the time to break this down, we win

Bears on the road is tough, but they've got young pass catchers which will struggle, especially since our safety is coming from Chicago and watched them all play. Caleb is great but inconsistent, and with a defense this lockdown 4th quarter theatrics won't save them. Another shakable defense, another Drake Maye masterclass, and down go the bears.

Dolphins on the road. They have no WRs, their QB isn't battletested, their defense blows, we win. This article is taking enough time as is, not gonna waste too much breath on this.

Back to New England again, we're taking on Green Bay. With the power of Tom Brady's announcing- jk. Having their former WR in Doubs will definitely be helpful, and hopefully we can take advantage of a very weak CB room, giving AJ, Doubs and maybe Diggs a time to shine. The offense is decent, but this defense is going to be unstoppable this season and I'm heavily banking on that. Micah Parsons will be a problem, but our WRs shouldn't have a tough time getting open fast enough. We win this one

Traveling to Detroit to take on the Lions, this one's tough. That offense is going to be scary, but our offense is too. Hutch will cause issues, but not enough of them as we establish the run and get passes out quickly. This will be a high scoring affair where the better coach wins, and that's Vrabel. Wouldn't be shocked if Detroit took it though

Going into a well-earned bye, where we should be 6-3 at worst. Great first half of the year, gotta finish out strong.

Chargers are up next, another tough matchup. A weak WR room should be relatively locked up, causing Herbert to make mistakes. The run game is fine but nothing to write home about, and that defense should lose a step without Minter running the show. Drake Maye will make some mistakes and this could be a slow grind of a game, but we could very well take it

Bills in Gillette, not gonna say too much here because I said it all the first time, just execute it even better with the patriots crowd. Worst case scenario this series ends in a split

Vikings is a weird case. Kyler Murray is definitely an upgrade over JJ, but thats not a high bar. This will be one of Gonzos toughest matchups all year as he covers Jefferson, but Kyler isn't the most accurate. He's also quite prone to getting hurt, which could lead to "Nine" coming back in, and that won't end very well. Their defense is one of the better ones, but their QB play isn't good enough to put up points and being in Gillette, yeah we should be able to win this one.

Down to arrowhead, for now I have this as a loss but once again let's discuss how we can win. Worthy is definitely gonna be an issue with his remarkable speed, and Mahomes should certainly be back by this point. However, there's a crater sized hole in that defense known as the absence of McDuffie. AJ will definitely have himself a day. Communication will be difficult and it'll be a hard battle, but we'll fight and if it ends in a loss it'll be respectable.

Jets in MetLife. Again don't gotta say too much, just don't let the turf monster claim anyone.

Broncos in Gillette is another interesting case. We beat them at their house to make the super bowl last year, but that was without Bo. Waddle is good, and although Gonzo can clamp him down their offensive line will give Nix time to throw to him. That defense is great, and I can definitely see this one ending as a loss

Ending off against Miami and we're at home, yeah we should be able to take this. Their tank is in full motion atp and we're likely fighting for playoff seeding of some kind. We shouldn't have an issue here

Still think we're crashing down to earth?