The New England Patriots most certainly will look different this season, but does that wipe them from “favorite” status in the AFC East?
One Hall of Fame quarterback believes so.
The Patriots narrowly won the division over the Buffalo Bills last season, and New England since has lost Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and many others.
As such, Bills legend Jim Kelly explained on CBS Sports’ “The Zach Gelb Show” why it would be troubling for Buffalo if it doesn’t claim the East in 2020.
“If they don’t, then something’s wrong. I mean, Tom Brady is not there to block you anymore. So that, to me, is huge,” Kelly said. “I think Tom of course is getting older, getting old, but he still can play. I tried to talk him into retirement like two, three years ago, but he just wouldn’t listen to me. I don’t know why. But now that Brady’s gone, I definitely do think the Bills are the team to beat, even though you look at the Jets, they’re getting better. Miami with Tua (Tagovailoa) coming in, I think they’re going to be better. And of course, (Bill) Belichick will have his team ready to play. So we’ll see what happens at the quarterback position in New England.”
Bold.
Indeed, the division is going to be far more wide open this season than in years past. But just how much the Patriots drop off in the aftermath of Brady’s departure remains to be seen, obviously.
