17 predictions about the 2017 Patriots

It’s time to get back to real football, and so we have a dozen predictions about the 2017 Patriots and where they might end up before it’s all said and done.



Tom Brady will be the first starting quarterback in NFL history 40 or older to win multiple playoff games in a postseason. Brady is looking to one-up his friend and rival Peyton Manning as the oldest quarterback to win a title, and could do it if he’s the Last Man Standing in Minneapolis the first Sunday in February. But he’d also set a new mark for veteran quarterbacks everywhere — only one QB 40 or older has won a playoff game (Brett Favre, and he only won one after 40), and no starting quarterback after the age of 40 has even gotten to the Super Bowl. When it comes to Brady, provided he stays healthy, he’ll top 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Mike Gilislee will be the closest thing the team has to a feature back. The Patriots are going to mix and match at the running back position, featuring different guys from game to game and even series to series. But Gillislee is the guy who sets up as the back who has the best chance to handle the bulk of the between-the-tackles work, as well as the touches in the red zone. New England is going to lean on Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis and James White (this group of backs will augment the passing game as well) but when the Patriots are looking to grind out some tough yards on the ground, Gillislee will be their guy.

Trey Flowers will lead the team in sacks. Admittedly, this isn’t a big branch to crawl out on, but Flowers projects to be the guy who provides the bulk of the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The youngster out of Arkansas who came on strong down the stretch and into the playoffs last year will be counted on to take it to the next level in 2017.

That being said, Dont’a Hightower will finish with a career-high in sacks. Hightower will spend some time on the edge and in the middle, but he will provide more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than ever before. His career-high for sacks was six (2014). Because of his rapidly developing game and the fact that the Patriots simply need him to do more pass rushing this year, he’ll top that in 2017.

By the end of the season, the New England secondary will be regarded as one of the best in the league. Between the addition of Stephon Gilmore, the incentives (both personal and professional) for a guy like Malcolm Butler, and the rock-steady trio of veteran safeties Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung, this group will distinguish itself as one of the best secondaries in the league before the end of the regular season. McCourty, in particular, appears poised for a great season. While there are some questions about the pass rush, the back end of the Patriots’ defense will be a real strength.

Jarvis Landry will be the first opponent to feel the wrath of the Patriots. The Miami wide receiver said back in the spring that the Dolphins were poised to sweep the Patriots in 2017. "They're not our big brother anymore," he told reporters. It didn't make much news up here at the time, but you can rest assured that Landry's quote was filed away by the New England braintrust for use in the days before the Nov. 26 game.  And if the Patriots are able to put the hammer down on Miami, you can bank on the fact that the New England defense will bring up Landry's quote after the contest. (If history is any indication, expect someone in Pittsburgh to stick their foot in their mouth before the Dec. 17 game against the Steelers.)

The Patriots will try and acquire a defensive player in the days leading up to the Oct. 31 deadline. New England has always been relatively active in the days leading up to the trade deadline, and this year will be no exception. In year's past, the Patriots have managed to make an impact move on the defensive side of the ball -- past deadline moves have seen Aqib Talib and Akeem Ayers to town. Look for them to augment their standing with an additional defensive player in the days before the deadline.

But they won't be able to coax anyone out of retirement. There's already been some talk about a potential return for Rob Ninkovich. In addition, the Patriots have also reportedly been linked to Anquan Boldin. While they will add players over the course of the season, the guys who are retired will stay retired..

They won't be able to go unbeaten on the road in back-to-back seasons. The 2016 Patriots were distinguished by a number of characteristics, including the fact that they were one of only a handful of teams in the history of the league to win eight regular-season road games. Their 8-0 mark away from Foxborough was impressive, but New England won't be able to duplicate it this time around.  (In the context of this conversation, it's important to note that the Patriots' game in Mexico against the Raiders is a home contest.)

Dion Lewis will (finally) feel like what it's like to lose a game as a member of the Patriots. Remarkably, the running back has never lost a game when he's been an active part of the New England roster -- the Patriots are 17-0 (including the playoffs) in games Lewis has played in since he arrived just before the start of the 2015 season. But that streak will come to an end during the 2017 season. Granted, the amazing run isn't all because of Lewis, who downplays it every time he's asked. But it's certainly not coincidental either, as the dynamic back has done some impressive things since he started his career with the Patriots.

Deatrich Wise, Jr. will be the best and most complete rookie on the team. With Derek Rivers and Tony Garcia on the shelf, this rookie class is a little thin going into the season. And Wise was sidelined for a sizable chunk of the preseason with a head injury. But his length and power will give opposing offensive linemen fits for a few reasons, including the fact that there’s just not a lot of film on him at this level for opposing teams. He might have trouble sustaining that over the course of the season (teams will smarten up, and he wouldn’t be the only first-year player to hit the rookie wall), but he’s going to be a handful to contain, at least in the early going.

Brandin Cooks will lead the team in yards per catch. With Cooks, Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett, the Patriots could have the fastest group of wide receivers of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era. (Overall, look for the Patriots to go vertical a lot more in 2017 than they have the last few years.) But it’s Cooks who has shown the best combination of soft hands and blinding speed to consistently take the top off the defense. There’s something to be said for the work of Hogan and the fact that he has a year in the system with Brady, but Cooks is a world-class burner capable of doing things very few pass catchers are capable of.

The novelty of Chris “The College Lacrosse Player” Hogan will wear off, and he’ll just be known as an integral part of one of the best offenses in the NFL. Hogan is really well-positioned for a massive season, doing a good job of winning the trust of the quarterback in his first season with the Patriots with a series of big catches in important moments. But with New England looking more like a vertical team in 2017, Hogan will break the 1,000-yard receiving barrier. His versatility and speed will make him difficult to contain this year.

Danny Amendola will have the best catch rate of any receiver on the team, and one of the best in the league. Since the start of the 2015 season, Amendola is one of three receivers in the league who has been targeted at least 100 times and can boast of having a catch rate of 75 percent or better. (Michael Thomas and Doug Baldwin are the other two.) Amendola’s critics get hung up on the fact that he’s not Julian Edelman, but he’s carved out a nice niche as the most dependable receiver on the roster. And that level of faith doesn’t go unnoticed by the quarterback, who will look for him even more this year with Edelman on the sidelines.

At least four different guys will return punts. It’ll be a returner-by-committee for the Patriots, at least out of the gate. Look for a handful of guys to get their chances, including Amendola and newcomer Phillip Dorsett. But one of the best pure punt returner on the team (D.J. Foster) might not even be on the active roster at this point — if they struggle in the return game, the Patriots will have to do some roster juggling to get him to the next level.

The Patriots will win 13 games in the regular season. They’re not going to go 16-0, but they’ll come awful close. The games that look to be the toughest matchup at this point? The Raiders in Mexico and the Steelers in Pittsburgh. (Road games in New Orleans and Denver also won’t be easy.) But 13 wins should still be enough to secure home-field advantage, and that’s all that really matters.

Bill Belichick will tie Tom Landry on the list of all-time wins for a head coach. Belichick currently sits at 237 career wins, good for fourth on the list. He trails Don Shula (328), George Halas (318) and Landry (250). Thirteen regular-season wins would tie him with Landry and add another chapter to his long list of coaching accomplishments.