The New England Patriots are entering the 2023 NFL season with more doubts than certainties after failing to make it to the playoffs. In case you are wondering what are the Patriots odds to make playoffs, well, they aren’t exactly encouraging. After posting an 8-9 record, enough to rank 3rd in the AFC East, the Pats are now ready to show a different face and challenge for the championship.
What are the odds of the New England Patriots making the playoffs in the 2023 NFL season? The Patriots are entering the upcoming season with more uncertainties than assurances, as they were unable to secure a playoff spot in the previous year.
Their playoff chances and odds in June 2023 do not appear to be particularly promising. Despite finishing with an 8-9 record, which earned them a 3 rd -place ranking in the AFC East, the Patriots are determined to present a fresh image and contend for the championship.
Adding More Firepower
The Patriots searched all over the NFL for more talent. They added tight end Mike Gesicki, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, right tackle Riley Reiff and running back James Robinson to the roster while losing wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, tight end Jonnu Smith, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, punter Jake Bailey and running back Damien Harris.
This will be a challenging season for New England, who are yet to find their pace without Tom Brady. Mac Jones is urged to step up and take his game to the next level, as the Pats want to see his best version, or this experiment will start looking like a failure.
Bill Belichick isn’t retiring and wants to win a couple more championships with the Patriots, but right now, they don’t look like serious candidates to win it all next year. They are part of one of the most competitive divisions in the league, going against the perennial candidates Buffalo Bills, the interesting Miami Dolphins, and the resurging New York Jets, who landed Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
Their additions aren’t that big either, so the situation doesn’t look promising for the Patriots. Sure, JuJu Smith-Schuster can make some noise, as he did in Kansas City, and having DaVante Parker on the roster is also an advantage for the Patriots.
Rhamondre Stevenson was one of the few bright spots the Patriots had last season, averaging five yards per carry and catching 69 passes. Ty Montgomery is another quality player they have in their running back corp. Let’s not forget that Belichick is a master at using running backs unexpectedly, giving them a chance to shine whenever they step on the pitch.
Last season was tough, as their offense and defense went worse despite the team keeping plenty of players on the roster. However, this campaign doesn’t seem right for the Pats to aspire to compete for the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Mac Jones hasn’t shown any spectacular, and the play calling was poor last season. The defense didn’t stand out either, making this Patriots team an under-average squad with few chances to make it to the playoffs.
The Odds Aren’t In Their Favor
As things stand now, the Pats will be lucky if they can finish the season higher than the fourth-ranked in the AFC East division. The other three teams have better pieces than them, and only the Jets had a worse season in 2022.
Nothing really stands out about this Patriots team, and many think they should take a different route with Mac Jones and the rest of the squad. This appears to be a season of trial and error, as the Pats still have some issues to fix.
If they can address their most significant concerns for the future, we could be talking about New England contending again, but right now, that doesn’t seem likely for the Patriots. Things changed a lot after Tom Brady left the team, and now Belichick wants to build something good from scratch.
Still, nothing points out that the Patriots will be able to steal the 3rd spot on the division leaderboard, let alone make it to the postseason. They’re still a work in progress and fans can’t wait to see what’s next for the team that dominated the AFC during the 2010s.
