It’s been wash, rinse, repeat for the New England Patriots over the past handful of seasons.
Each of those campaigns began with speculation as to whether we were witnessing the fall of the Patriots’ dynasty. But like clockwork, New England managed to overcome its early-season struggles en route to deep playoff runs. Four of the past five Patriots playoff marches concluded with Super Bowl appearances, three of which produced Lombardi Trophies.
The 2019 campaign is shaping up to be no different. Tom Brady will be another year older, and the Patriots experienced quite a bit of offseason turnover, both on the roster and the coaching staff. As such, NFL.com is inclined to at least wonder if the upcoming season, at long last, will mark the end of New England’s unprecedented run of success.
“The footballing world is waiting on New England’s downfall, as the Patriots’ reign of terror and Tom Brady’s career have lasted far beyond their expected expiration date,” Jeremy Bergman writes. “And yet the machine marches on, with new, cheaper pieces in place every coming year. But nothing lasts forever. And before things end, there are warning signs. Was Gronk’s retirement a death knell? What about the exodus of nearly all of Belichick’s defensive staff and the abrupt abandonment of supposed DC Greg Schiano, leaving just Belichick and his offspring listed as defensive coaches on New England’s website? Houston’s pursuit of Nick Caserio was a wee scare, too, before the Patriots bested the Texans on technicalities and retained their de facto GM for at least one more draft. That’s the rub, isn’t it? Until Tom Brady’s arm falls well out of its socket, there’s no guarantee the Patriots will ever fall off, though their detractors hope and pray each offseason, each training camp, each NFL Kickoff Game that this is finally the year. And every year, we eventually rediscover that to even entertain the thought was a fool’s errand.”
The Patriots might not run roughshod over the league in 2019, but it’s tough to imagine a scenario in which they don’t reach the postseason. New England owns arguably the league’s easiest regular-season schedule, and no AFC East team appears ready to take over the division throne. Bill Belichick tends to feast on young/inexperienced quarterbacks, and Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen all will be entering their second NFL seasons.
So unfortunately for the rest of the league, it might have to wait a bit longer for New England’s demise.
