Despite winning three of the previous five Super Bowls, the New England Patriots have been doubted quite a bit over the last few years.
Well, it doesn’t look like that’s changing in 2019.
Out of ESPN’s 36 NFL analysts, only three chose New England to repeat as Super Bowl champs. Even former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich had them falling to the New Orleans Saints in the final game of the year. All 36 analysts made their MVP picks as well, with Tom Brady appearing on no ballots.
Former Patriots Tedy Bruschi and Randy Moss joined former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan as the trio to have New England hoisting the Lombardi Trophy come February once again.
The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin tweeted out each analyst’s picks, which included an NFC champion, AFC champion, Super Bowl champion and league MVP.
The Patriots begin their 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
