Patriots have one hope to keep from falling hopelessly behind Bills and Dolphins

The Buffalo Payments don’t worry the New England Patriots. And why ought to they? The final two occasions the groups performed, the Payments scored a mixed 80 factors, didn’t punt, watched their quarterback throw eight landing passes with out an interception and simply dispatched the group that when dominated the AFC East.

The Miami Dolphins don’t worry the New England Patriots. They’ve received 4 of the final 5 towards New England, together with a sweep final season. And so they simply traded former No. 1 receiver DeVante Parker to the Patriots and even threw in a fifth-round draft decide this yr in order that New England could be extra prone to take Parker’s wage.

All this so they may get again a third-round decide in 2023.

So what the Dolphins have been principally saying on this commerce was, “Take our participant and a decide this yr, and we nonetheless assume we’re higher off than you. We will wait a full yr to get a return on this commerce.”

And there’s an opportunity each the Payments and Dolphins have miscalculated. (Yeah, unlikely each have.)

However this offseason suggests each have certainly stayed forward of or moved previous the Patriots and are extra of a menace to one another than the Pats are to both of them.

This offseason when the cost for each group has been to get higher as a result of their neighbor is attempting, the Payments added dynamic go rusher Von Miller and have addressed their inside line of defense.

The Dolphins have restructured their offensive line and added weapons at working again and receiver, together with buying and selling for Tyreek Hill.

The Patriots? They’ve misplaced beginning offensive lineman Ted Karras to Cincinnati; misplaced J.C. Jackson, one of many NFL’s best cornerbacks the previous three years, to the Los Angeles Chargers; misplaced offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left to change into head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders; and customarily have carried out nothing to enhance their group velocity, which was clearly missing the ultimate quarter of the 2021 season.

Sure, it’s been a curious offseason for the Patriots.

And if you happen to ask membership proprietor Robert Kraft, the previous three years haven’t precisely been stellar both — at the least not in his thoughts.

“After my household, there’s nothing extra necessary to me than the New England Patriots and profitable soccer video games,” Kraft mentioned final week on the NFL annual assembly. “I’m a Patriot fan — huge time — first, and greater than something, it bothers me that we haven’t been capable of win a playoff recreation within the final three years. We had a interval of 20 years that have been unbelievable. Now we have to discover a strategy to maintain it, maintain it going.”

Was there a zinger aimed toward Invoice Belichick in there?

Kraft, nonetheless, will not be suggesting the longer term is misplaced.

New England Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft walks the turf forward of the Redskins recreation on Oct. 6, 2019, in Washington.
(AP Picture/Patrick Semansky)

“I’m blissful that we had a fantastic, I feel we had a fantastic draft final yr,” Kraft mentioned. “And it made up for what occurred the earlier 4 years or so. I stay up for hopefully having a fantastic draft this yr. That’s the one approach you’ll be able to construct your group long run and constantly so that you’ve got probability of profitable is having a very good draft.”

Sure, there was undoubtedly a zinger directed at his coach and normal supervisor in there.

Every thing Kraft is saying is true, by the best way. A number of drafts earlier than final season have been problematic, and clearly Belichick is answerable for these.

And the Patriots, which missed the playoffs in 2020, have been certainly bounced rapidly in ’19 and ’21 with no win.

So what’s New England’s reply for all this?

“Waiting for this yr,” Belichick mentioned. “Attempting to place the very best group on the sphere we are able to in 2022.”

Belichick doesn’t appear too involved in regards to the Payments pulling additional forward and the Dolphins pulling even or maybe forward.

“We’ll discover out subsequent yr,” he mentioned. “I feel a number of the gamers we have now on the roster hopefully will take a step up. However we’ll see. We’ll have new gamers, there might be new gamers right here. We’ll see what occurs with them.”

Let’s be trustworthy:

The one approach the Patriots enhance on final yr’s 10-7 file is that if quarterback Mac Jones is certainly as particular as that group believes.

If Jones makes the gargantuan leap many quarterbacks make from their rookie yr to the second yr, then the Patriots have an opportunity to maintain tempo with the enhancements being made in Buffalo and Miami.

And the Patriots are absolutely offered Jones may be capable of just do that.

“I are available in there typically on the weekend or early,” Kraft mentioned. “He’s there understanding or watching movie, simply doing issues I wouldn’t consider somebody of his background would have that sort of dedication, given his previous.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones warms up earlier than the Cleveland Browns recreation on Nov. 14, 2021, in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(AP Picture/Michael Dwyer)

“And the blokes within the locker room actually like him. All the blokes. I really consider he has somewhat extra edge than we’ve seen, however he’s been respectful of coming in as a rookie. So I’m very excessive on him. I feel we actually, the workers did a fantastic job of drafting him, and we’re fortunate to have him for our future.”

Jones, by the best way, can not simply enhance from being a very good rookie to an excellent veteran. Josh Allen of the Payments is elite. So are a handful of different quarterbacks within the convention.

So Jones must be that good, or the Patriots will wrestle to interrupt that three-year playoff victory drought. Kraft, nonetheless, stays optimistic.

“What’s gone on within the AFC,” he mentioned, “it seems to be like there’s a better variety of high quarterbacks, however we actually have to fret about our scenario. Care for our enterprise. Now we have an opportunity.

“With out a good coach and a very good quarterback, irrespective of how good the opposite gamers are, I don’t assume you’ll be able to win constantly. I consider we have now each – an excellent coach and a very good, younger prospect at quarterback … This might be a very good yr.”