2011 New England Patriots Predictions
The Patriots won their seventh division title in eight seasons in 2010 with a NFL-best 14-2 record. They have clearly been the cream of the crop in the AFC East, but the Jets are gaining.
New York won two of the three matchups a season ago, including a 28-21 victory at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs. This gives us reason to wonder if the Pats will soon be passing the torch.
Offense: The Patriots led the NFL in scoring a year ago with 32.4 points per game. They ranked eighth in total offense with 363.8 yards per contest.
Tom Brady won his second MVP award. He completed nearly 66.0 percent of his passes for 3,900 yards with 36 touchdowns and four interceptions. Brady helped the Patriots finish 11th in the league with 240.4 passing yards per game.
Surprisingly, the running game ranked ninth in the league with 123.3 yards per game. I say surprisingly because the Pats did it with a pair of undrafted free agents. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 1,008 yards and 13 scores on 4.4 yards per carry and Danny Woodhead gained 547 yards and scored five times on 5.6 yards per tote.
While Wes Welker continued to put up strong numbers, but a pair of rookie tight ends were the story in the receiving game. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez combined for 87 catches for 1,109 yards and 16 touchdowns. Welker caught 86 passes for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.
Chad Ochocinco has been brought in to add more big-play ability to the unit. Ochocinco has reached 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in six of the last eight seasons.
The Patriots are solid up front with Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Connolly, Sebastian Vollmer and Dan Koppen. Massive 6-foot-8, 319-pound Nate Solder was drafted in the first round to be the team’s left tackle of the future.
Defense: Statistically, New England was one of the worst defensive teams in the NFL last season. It finished 25th in the league with 366.5 yards allowed per game. Big plays, however, helped the unit rank eighth in scoring defense with only 19.6 points allowed per contest.
The Patriots gave up most of their yards through the air, ranking 30th in the league with 258.5 passing yards allowed per game. But a ball-hawking secondary was largely responsible for picking off 25 passes, a number that led the league.
A defensive line that only allowed 108.0 yards per game on the ground, should be even more stout with the addition of Albert Haynesworth, once regarded as the best defensive lineman in the game. He joins Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork and Mike Wright, who led the team with 5.5 sacks last season.
2008 top draft choice Jerod Mayo was all over the place in 2010. He led the team with 193 tackles, more than double Patrick Chung, who was second on the team with 89.
Bill Belichick proved his genius once again when he traded down twice and grabbed cornerback Devin McCourty with the 27th pick. All those who doubted that move were quiet as a church mouse by season’s end when McCourty had seven interceptions and 82 tackles.
Prediction: 1st Place AFC East – Brady was often incensed on the sideline last season, and the team rode his fiery passion to the best record in the league. Losing to division rival New York in the playoffs has to have Brady even more infuriated. With plenty of motivation, expect future Hall of Famers Belichick and Brady to lead the Pats to yet another division title. NFL odds makers have listed the Patriots at -160 to win the AFC East.
Individual Team NFL Season Predictions
