Hall Of Fame Coach Projects When Patriots Will Be Super Bowl Contender Again

The Patriots’ 2020 season has been a disappointment by New England standards.

While the Patriots’ playoff hopes still are technically alive entering Week 15, they’re incredibly slim. And even if New England somehow sneaks into the postseason, it probably wouldn’t be a legitimate threat to win Super Bowl LV.

This, of course, is a stray from the norm in the Bill Belichick era. The Patriots over the past decade-plus seemingly have entered every season with a realistic shot to win the Lombardi Trophy. But given the state of its current roster and its outlook for the future, it’s uncertain when those expectations will return in Foxboro.

Jimmy Johnson, for one, believes it will be sooner rather than later. The Pro Football Hall of Fame coach has confidence in Belichick’s ability to lead a quick turnaround.

“Knowing Bill Belichick, probably in a year or two,” Johnson told the New York Post’s Steve Serby. “He does a great job as far as acquiring players from other teams that have been castoffs and put them in a place where they can succeed. And on top of that, he had eight players opt out. … So they will be back in the picture in a hurry.”

Belichick and Co. have plenty of work to do in order to make Johnson’s prediction come to fruition. The Patriots have a handful of key players headed for free agency this spring, and they’ll need to address their quarterback situation over the offseason. Returning to Super Bowl contention also likely will be made tougher by the expected improvements of the Patriots’ AFC East rivals.

New England will go toe-to-toe with one of those division foes Sunday when it visits the Miami Dolphins.