New England's 2020 season was a disaster by Patriots standards. A 7-9 campaign marked the franchise's first losing season since 2000, the year before Tom Brady took over as starting quarterback.
The Patriots have a lot of work to do in order to make the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season, but at least one league analyst likes New England's chances of bouncing back. Matt Bowen, one of the eight football experts tasked by ESPN to pick a non-playoff team in 2020 that will reach the postseason in 2021, is confident Bill Belichick and Co. will have a successful offseason and return to legitimately competing for a Lombardi Trophy.
"We still need to see what direction the Patriots go at the quarterback position, but with ample cap space and the best coaching staff in the league under Bill Belichick, I see the Patriots making the moves to produce a playoff-ready roster in 2021," Bowen wrote in a column published to ESPN.com Monday.
The Patriots definitely are a team to keep an eye on as the start of the new NFL year nears. The organization reportedly is prepared to be "aggressive" this offseason, which probably is the best approach given the number of pressing needs the Patriots have. New England also picked a good time to search for a QB upgrade, as the signal-caller market is expected to include appealing options like old friend Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz and maybe even Dak Prescott.
Of course, there will be external factors that will make a bounce-back season difficult to accomplish for the Patriots. The reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills are expected to be a force once again in 2021 and the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets should be improved as well.
In turn, it might be best for the Foxboro Faithful to approach next season with cautious optimism.
