5 NFL teams that made playoffs last year but won’t make it back in 2020
By John Buhler
2. 47. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. East. New England Patriots. player. AFC
It’s going to be very strange not seeing the New England Patriots winning the AFC East every year any more. The Tom Brady/Bill Belichick marriage had a great 20-year run, but Brady now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South with this favorite tight end Rob Gronkowski. New England won’t be a horrible team, but they may not be anything close to a good one.
The culture is in place, as The Patriot Way will still ring through the Foxborough halls as the gospel it seemingly always has been. However, the greatest disciple of it dipped out on them after 20 years of being a humble and faithful servant. Regardless, New England should still have an excellent defense because that’s what Belichick has always been about. As for the offense…
That has the potential to be nothing short of a nightmare. With Jarrett Stidham going from clipboard holder to starting quarterback, who’s overly fired up about that honestly? He was fine that one year at Auburn, but that was the SEC and this is the NFL. He lost his offensive line coach to retirement and inherits arguably the blandest group of offensive personnel in football.
Not only are the Patriots weaker across the board, they’re no longer the favorites to win their own division. The Buffalo Bills proudly hold that title for the first time in decades. Add in the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets possibly on the uptick as well and New England could be watching postseason football from the coach for the first time since Brady tore his ACL back in 2008.