How ‘Madden’ Ratings Underscore Patriots’ Challenge In 2023

There are legitimate questions about the Patriots' offense as New England gets ready for the 2023 season.

On one hand, it's hard to believe things can get any worse for Bill Belichick's offense after the 2022 campaign. The ill-fated decision to turn the keys over to Matt Patricia and Joe Judge never worked. Simple signs of life were tough to come by for most of the season. Simply moving on from those two on the offensive side of the ball should be a step in the right direction.

The same could be said for bringing back Bill O'Brien to lead the offense. The former Texans coach is familiar with the organization, Belichick and to an extent, quarterback Mac Jones. At the very least, there's a figurative adult in the room when it comes to running the offense.

All that being said, it's hard to be overly inspired by the roster. The Patriots -- linked at times this offseason to Jerry Jeudy, DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook -- might miss out on all three. Mike Gesicki and Juju Smith-Schuster are fine additions, but neither induces any insomnia for game-planning opponents nor is the returning cast of Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker and Hunter Henry.

The other thing that must be considered in any discussion about the Patriots' potential fate in 2023 is the schedule. We know that it's among the most difficult in the league by various measures. As such, they're going to face stiff competition pretty much all season with some elite playmakers on both sides of the ball.

When it comes to opposing defenses, the Patriots will have their hands full against secondaries. We got the latest evidence of that Thursday with the latest in a way-too-long rollout of player ratings for the "Madden 24" video game. Obviously, these sorts of things are best washed down with a heaping helping of salt, but they are undeniably good players.

Here are the top 10 cornerbacks, per the "Madden" ratings:

1. Jalen Ramsey (Miami)
2. Jaire Alexander (Green Bay)
3. Patrick Surtain (Denver)
4. Sauce Gardner (New York Jets)
5. Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore)
6. Darius Slay Jr. (Philadelphia)
7. Stephon Gilmore (Dallas)
8. Marshon Lattimore (New Orleans)
9. Tre'Davious White (Buffalo)
10. Denzel Ward (Cleveland)

Quibble with the rankings all you want, and if you think it's insane to draw any sort of correlation from a video game to the real-life NFL, there are certainly worse positions to take. But here's the important thing: The Patriots will line up against any one of those cornerbacks in 10 of their 17 regular-season games this year. They will get double helpings of Ramsey (No. 1), Gardner (No. 4) and White (No. 8). They will open the season -- when the offense might still be working to find its rhythm -- against Slay (No. 6), and Gilmore (No. 7) will be motivated to take it to his old team when the Patriots go to Dallas.

If you want to further extend the exercise, the Patriots also will have to deal with Kendall Fuller and Washington this season.

There are a lot of really good cornerbacks in the league right now, and every team has to deal with them. But it's just another reminder of how difficult it could be for the Patriots to have a remarkable offensive turnaround in 2023. It's looking more and more like New England might have to rely on its own defense to improve on its 8-9 record.