Need more reasons to get excited about the 2021 New England Patriots? Well, look no further than their schedule.
ESPN NFL analyst Mike Clay on Tuesday offered his 2021 NFL strength-of-schedule rankings, based on current rosters. The Patriots earned the sixth easiest schedule, one spot ahead of the Tennessee Titans and one spot below the Miami Dolphins.
Here are the top five easiest schedules, as determined by Clay:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New York Jets.
5. Miami Dolphins
And here are his full rankings:
Obviously, that's great news for the Bucs. The defending Super Bowl champions seemingly have a legitimate shot at going undefeated. They're good on both sides of the ball, have the best quarterback of all time and will benefit from a potentially easy schedule.
As for the Patriots, they'll need all the help they can get next season, despite their vastly improved roster. The new pieces likely will take a while to properly fit, and the quarterback position remains a major question mark.
But hey, they'll take layup games when they can get them.
