Things have not been going great for the New England Patriots since the Tom Brady era ended.
Since 2019, New England has had only one playoff appearance, finishing in third place or worse in each of the other four seasons, including back-to-back last-place finishes in the division the past two years. Despite bringing in a new head coach this offseason, the Patriots seem to be making positive progress.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton predicted the teams that would finish at the bottom of each division next season, with the Patriots' rival Miami Dolphins predicted to be the worst in the AFC East.
"Even though the New England Patriots and New York Jets have new coaching staffs, which always brings a level of uncertainty, the Miami Dolphins have glaring question marks that could become flaws in a bottom-out year," Moton wrote.
"His (Tua Tagovailoa) availability could be the difference between a 10-win season and a team that finishes with a sub-.500 record in back-to-back years. Miami finishes with seven or eight wins, and head coach Mike McDaniel's job security will come into question at the end of the campaign."
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Though the Patriots finished with a 4-13 record last season, they now have their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. In addition to Maye, New England brought in multiple familiar faces to the coaching staff, hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach and Josh McDaniels as the team's offensive coordinator, and signed four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
New England has ranked among the worst offensively in the league the past two seasons, with their defense also taking a dip last season. Now the Patriots have the pieces in place to return to being a playoff-caliber team, though the Dolphins' season outlook is not as bright.
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