5 burning questions the Patriots must answer in 2019

1. How much longer can Tom Brady outlast Father Time?

The million dollar question when it comes to the Patriots remains the same: how much longer can Tom Brady maintain an elite level of performance? Brady, who will turn 42 in August, looked mortal at points of 2018 but turned it on in the playoffs to help New England win a sixth ring.

The fact that Brady is still playing, and playing very well at that, at age 41 is simply remarkable. Most elite quarterbacks have either declined significantly by that age, or have retired in the worst case, but Brady is still chugging along up in Foxborough.

Brady is a noted nutrition freak who takes impeccable care of his body, following a very specific diet and undergoing a unique training regimen to prepare for the grind of football season. All of that is well and good, but you have to wonder just how much longer Brady can stave off the effects of aging.

Father Time is undefeated and the end usually comes quickly once the decline begins, so Brady’s efforts to defy the laws of nature are the key to New England’s continued success. The Patriots no longer have a true successor for Brady on their roster, so their run is only guaranteed to continue as long as Tom Terrific is performing at an elite level.

Brady has said in the past that he wants to play until he is 45, which would mean four more seasons for the rest of the league to deal with him if all goes according to plan. All the Patriots care about at this point is that Brady keeps performing well in 2019 because if he doesn’t their season likely goes up in smoke.