No way!
By: Cole Bredahl
The New England Patriots entered the season favored to win Super Bowl LI with 5-1 odds, and though I believe they will, they won’t be perfect.
The Patriots’ fans have started the “perfect” conversation after a 3-0 start without the great Tom Brady and superhuman Rob Gronkowski. The offense has been able to put up points, and the early strength shown by the defense has been a pleasant surprise.
The team has been able to start 3-0 with quarterback contributions from inexperienced backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett. However, both quarterbacks are banged up and may not be able to play next week. There are many questions as to who will be calling the plays until Brady returns. Wide receiver Julian Edelman may have to start at quarterback this week.
The Patriots biggest challenge on paper comes when they head to Pittsburgh in week seven to face a very strong Steelers team. Speaking of winning without star players, the Steelers are 2-1 without Le’Veon Bell and have showed they can find a way to win. The Steelers strong offense will have the best chance to break the stingy Patriots defense.
The perfect regular season is a huge milestone which is only achieved by legendary teams like the ’07 Patriots and ‘72 Dolphins. Don’t get me wrong, the Patriots are a great team, and I believe they will win a ring this year, but this is no legendary team. Don’t believe Ronan, he is just a homer from Vermont rooting for his team. Someone who is a bigger Patriots fan than Gisele cannot be trusted.
Absolutely!
By Ronan Khalsa
The Patriots’ culture of winning and consistency has led them to a strong 3-0 start. Physically fierce and mentally tough, the Patriots will continue to win assuming they can carry out game plans thought up by Bill Belichick and his hoodie. Roger Goodell suspended Tom Brady, possibly the best quarterback ever to play in the NFL, and assigned the Patriots a strenuous schedule without their star in hopes of crippling their season. He failed.
No Brady, no Garoppolo, no Brissett and no Gronk? No problem. The offense is solid and will continue to improve while the defense remains to be a firm foundation. Their defense showed up a likely playoff team, the Houston Texans, by holding them scoreless this past Thursday. The Patriots proved special teams is as important as offense and defense by recovering two fumbles and pinning the Texans to an average field position near the fifteen-yard line.
The core of coaches and players remains the same since the Patriots last Super Bowl title and, as injured players return to work, and the supporting cast perfects their jobs, there is no possible way Belichik allows his team to lose a single game during this season.
