Are Patriots Still Super Bowl Contenders? NFL Insider Weighs In

There was a whole lot of Super Bowl talk in Foxboro after the Patriots went into Buffalo and knocked off the Bills in Week 13.

That primetime victory, which extended New England’s win streak to seven, kept the Patriots atop both the AFC East and the conference standings. With a bye awaiting Bill Belichick’s team in the following weekend, many thought the Pats were sitting pretty as we approached the final quarter of the regular season.

Well, the narrative surrounding New England completely shifted over the past two weeks. The Patriots have lost two straight and currently are the AFC’s second wild card team with two games remaining on their docket. New England very likely will earn a spot in the tournament, but NFL insider Dan Graziano believes a Super Bowl LVI berth is unrealistic for Mac Jones and Co.

“There is absolutely no shame in the Patriots still being a year away from true contender status with rookie quarterback Mac Jones and an offense that was thrown together in free agency,” Graziano wrote for ESPN.com. “They aren’t going to be a fun team to play in January, and if you turn the ball over against them then you’re asking for major trouble.

“But if you don’t, I’m just not sure the Pats have enough places they can go on offense to go toe-to-toe with the other AFC contenders in a turnover-neutral game. And if they fall behind, they don’t look like a team that’s built to overcome that. It’s outstanding that they’ve done what they’ve done this season, and it offers major hope for the future. Again, they could be a problem in the postseason. But they don’t look like the kind of team that can win four straight against playoff-caliber competition.”

Fortunately, they have a golden opportunity to get back in the win column Sunday when they host the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.