NFL Insider Says Patriots Aren’t ‘Real Contenders’
"They don’t have the blue-chip talent to be real contenders"
What do the New England Patriots have to do to be taken seriously?
Finish the regular season a perfect 8-0 on the road? Check.
End the Buffalo Bills’ reign atop the AFC East? Check.
Have an MVP contender and Coach of the Year frontrunner on their team? Check and check.
Still, there remains some doubters.
“I’m not sure if a performance as good as it was against the lifeless Jets defense will do much to move the needle in the mind of voters. I had (Drake) Maye as my top MVP candidate for most of the season, but I’m beginning to be swayed by the strength of schedule argument,” senior NFL writer Ted Nguyen of The Athletic wrote on Monday. “The Patriots’ turnaround has been fun to watch, but they don’t have the blue-chip talent to be real contenders.”
Yes, it’s true, the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the NFL this year, but a 13-3 record is a 13-3 record.
Outside of two early-season stumbles against the Las Vegas Raiders (!) and Pittsburgh Steelers and one half of brutal play vs. the revenge-seeking Bills in Week 15, New England has been nearly flawless this season.
Fans will have to wait and see what happens in the playoffs, but the Patriots are indeed contenders.
