7 Storylines To Follow During Patriots Quest For 7th Super Bowl Title
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The 2019 Patriots season will start like five others in the last 17 years -- with a banner ceremony. If all goes according to plan, they'll have to make room for another banner by season's end.
The Patriots begin their quest for their unprecedented seventh Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night, when they welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Gillette Stadium. It's a fitting matchup between the only two NFL franchises with six Super Bowls to their name.
It's title or bust once again for Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and company, but we are a long ways off from a February evening in Miami. A whole lot can happen between now and Groundhog Day, and though the Pats are among the favorites to be there in the end, they have their share of question marks at some important places on the roster.
Here are the storylines we'll be keeping an eye on throughout the 2019 season.
Top Defense?
The New England defense is going to be good. Real good. But just how good can they be? A Top 5 defense is not out of the question.
They have a stacked secondary, led by lockdown corner Stephon Gilmore, the McCourty brothers, and Patrick Chung. J.C. Jackson is on the rise and hard-hitting defensive back Joejuan Williams was drafted in the second round to give the group an injection of youth. It's their strongest bunch on the roster.
Finally, after years of concern about their depth at the position, the Patriots have a solid group of linebackers too. Kyle Van Noy will be his usual steady self, and Dont'a Hightower should benefit greatly from the return of Jamie Collins, who seems to have broken away from his freelancing ways of three years ago. Having to play for the Browns will do that to just about anyone. Elandon Roberts is a reliable depth guy, and there's some youth in the mix now with Ja'Whaun Bentley returning.
The biggest loss from last season was defensive end Trey Flowers. The Patriots replaced him with Michael Bennett, a man who has made a living out of giving quarterbacks nightmares and big bruises. He had nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles for the Eagles last season, and if Belichick unleashes the versatile Bennett, it's possible the pass-rush will be even better this season. We also heard plenty from rookie Chase Winovich during the preseason; now we'll get to see what he can do when the games count.
The expectations are high for this side of the ball, and that's always a little dangerous. Could we be overrating this unit just a tad? Perhaps, but it's hard to fault anyone for that after watching the New England D limit the Rams to just three points in the Super Bowl. With the offense no longer the high-powered unit it once was, the Patriots will be relying on their defense to lead the way and win games this season. That side of the football should be more than up to the challenge.
Evolving Offense
The Patriots offense evolved throughout last season, morphing into a run-heavy, smash-your-face-in offense by season's end. It worked too, as they rushed their way to a Super Bowl on the rookie legs of Sony Michel (and some incredible work by the O-line). That should continue thanks to their incredible depth at running back, led by Michel, James White and rookie Damien Harris (with Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden providing more depth). Even if Michel misses time with bumps and bruises throughout the regular season, the Pats have the bodies to make up for it. Harris could make an instant impact, especially if he catches some passes out of the backfield.
All of that will help the 42-year-old playing quarterback. Brady is still playing at a high level as he enters his fine vintage years, and he has a solid cast of receivers to throw to, but there is no longer a monolith protecting his blind side and he's without his big playmaker at tight end. The passing game should be OK, but it won't be New England's bread-and-butter.
Want a guarantee this season? Career year for Jimmy Develin. Take that to the bank.
Ohboy-Line
The offense may take some time to get their act together, though, with some major question marks along the offensive line. Trent Brown is now a ginormous human being in Oakland. David Andrews is out with blood clots in his lungs. That means the Patriots are without their starting left tackle and starting center from last season. Mix in Rob Gronkowski's retirement (heck, even the loss of Dwayne Allen), and the Patriots are without some of their best blockers from last season. Not ideal, but In Scar We Trust.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes this group to come together with Isaiah Wynn now protecting Brady's blindside and Ted Karras taking over at center. The offensive line was a big reason the run game and offense as a whole were so successful last season. Without Brown and Andrews, it will be difficult to replicate that success.
Brady's Targets
The Patriots wide receiver corps was a bit of a mess to start last season. So much so that the team had to go out and take a flyer on Josh Gordon. That worked out well, at least for a bit until Gordon got himself suspended again.
Gordon is now back in the fold, part of a fairly formidable group of receivers that Tom Brady will throw to this season. Julian Edelman leads the way, with Gordon, Demaryius Thomas, Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers filling out the depth chart. And the Pats are hoping that rookie N'Keal Harry can really sink his teeth into the playbook while he's on IR and make an impact when (if?) he gets into the mix come Week 9.
The wide receiver group was a question mark heading into camp, but Gordon rejoining the squad alleviates those concerns. But as we've come to know, an injury (or suspension) could drastically change those feelings. And with Gronkowski retired and Ben Watson serving his suspension for the first month of the season, the pressure is going to be on this group to perform at a high level right out of the gate.
The Guy Named Gunner
People are going wild for Gunner Olszewski, and rightfully so. He's the kind of story Patriots fans absolutely love during this dynastic run, an undrafted player with a chance to make an impact on a Super Bowl contender. Plus, his name is freakin' Gunner. (Or Gunnah in certain area codes.)
What his impact will be -- if any -- remains to be seen. But it would be really nice to see someone other than a 33-year-old Julian Edelman taking punts for the Patriots.
Will Anyone Put Up A Fight In AFC?
The Dolphins are tanking. The Bills are the Bills. The Jets, who are least facing the right direction at the moment, are still a few years away from being a real threat. The Patriots will make it a full decade of AFC East dominance by early December, adding to their pile of meaningless hats and t-shirts.
But we knew the Patriots would be win their division long ago. If they don't, something went terribly wrong along the way. The real question is who will step up in the AFC to dethrone the champs?
The Chiefs are the likeliest of candidates, eager to get some revenge for their two losses to New England last season. KC played the Patriots tougher than anyone else and were an offsides away from winning the AFC Championship game. They have their question marks too, the biggest of which is their head coach and his meatball for a brain, but the Chiefs are as good as the competition gets in the AFC.
The L.A. Chargers are still in the mix thanks to Pip Rivers and their solid defense, but it's looking like they'll have to replicate last year's success without Melvin Gordon. Good luck with all of that. The Houston Texans could become a legit threat, but they have to get out of their own way first. Baltimore may be the biggest threat after KC, but a lot of that depends on the development of Lamar Jackson. Pittsburgh could put it together by season's end despite losing two of their best playmakers in the offseason, but that is a tall order.
There are the hopefuls in the Titans (who may not score an offensive touchdown all season), the Jaguars (with a better quarterback) and Browns (who may or may not implode by midseason), but they don't seem ready to make the big jump. In the end, it will likely come down to the Patriots and Chiefs once again, and once again, that game will likely be a coin flip.
Don't Call It A Comeback
Gronk may be retired, but we're going to hear a lot about him throughout the season. And a lot about a potential comeback.
But Rob Gronkowski is staying retired, folks. At least until he gets all the CBD out of his system. Even then, Rob Gronkowski is staying retired this season.
He looks pretty happy in his post-football life, and though he may one day try to do his thing on a football field once again, don't expect it to happen this season. He made it pretty clear that football was taking away from his overall enjoyment of life, and that's saying something for a guy who enjoys life as much as Gronk. He needs this season to get his body and his mind right. After that, we'll see. But don't expect to see No. 87 catching passes anytime in 2019.
