Cris Carter believes the Patriots have “real, real problems,” but those concerns haven’t altered the Hall of Fame wideout’s faith in the reigning Super Bowl champions.
New England took care of business Sunday afternoon at FedExField. It wasn’t a masterful showing from the Patriots by any means, but they managed to secure a 26-point win over the lowly Washington Redskins. New England’s defense turned in another stout performance, while the offense at times looked out of sync.
Still, Carter doesn’t see the Patriots stumbling at any point during the regular season. In fact, the “First Things First” co-host has some tough news for the rest of the AFC, which will be trying to halt New England’s Super Bowl appearance streak at three.
“It’s just normal. They’re just good enough just to win. I’m not going to change my prediction: 14-2,” Carter said Monday on FOX Sports 1. “They’re going to cruise through the regular season and they’re probably going to give away that last game, alright? Their next 10 games, they’re only going to lose one game in that. They’re going to have home-field advantage. AFC Championship, if you want to win it, it’s got to go through Gillette.”
Carter’s prediction might have more to do with the rest of the conference than the Patriots themselves, as it’s tough to make an argument for many teams that pose a legitimate threat to New England in January. While teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts have been exciting, it sure does feel like we’re on a collision course for the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs to meet in the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season.
As far as the 14-2 prediction is concerned, it likely will look even better by Thursday night’s end. The Patriots shouldn’t have too much trouble with Daniel Jones and the New York Giants when the sides collide in Foxboro for a primetime showdown.
