Skip Bayless doesn’t see the New England Patriots falling victim to a Super Bowl hangover.
The stage is set for yet another successful season in New England. The Patriots’ offense, especially if Josh Gordon is consistently available, is poised to be a well-oiled machine, while the defense very well could be among the NFL’s best.
As if that was enough to inspire confidence in the 2019 Patriots, their regular-season schedule, at least on paper, is far from overbearing. New England’s slate of opponents collected a combined .473 win percentage last season, good for the second-lowest in the league. Skip Bayless expects Tom Brady and Co. to take full advantage.
“I believe that New England will lose to Pittsburgh in the opener at New England because I like the Steelers this year. And then I got them going 13-3 and maybe it could be better because I just don’t see anything dangerous on this schedule,” Bayless said Thursday on FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed.” “What’s the most dangerous for New England every year? It’s the late-season game at Miami. That’s always the nemesis for Tom Brady. They get to go to Miami in Week 2. So they will be coming out of the summer in New England. Hot, drippy summer — it feels just like Miami to me. They get that out of the way. Guess who they get to finish with? At home against the Bills and the Dolphins. Like that?”
The Patriots will face a tough test in the middle of the season, as they’ll square off against the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive matchups beginning in Week 8. New England still likely will put together a winning record over this stretch, but it also leaves less room for error in the early goings when the club typically endures the bulk of its struggles.
But whatever record the Patriots end up posting at regular season’s end, one has to imagine it will be enough to clinch an 11th straight AFC East title.
