Road Through AFC Just Got A Lot More Difficult For Patriots
FOXBORO (CBS) -- The road to ... well anywhere in the NFL just got a lot more difficult for the New England Patriots. And the rest of the AFC for that matter.
Yet another star quarterback has come to the American Football Conference, with the Denver Broncos pulling off an absolute blockbuster of a trade on Tuesday that brings Russell Wilson to the Mile High City. The AFC West now sports a truly terrifying gauntlet of quarterbacks, with Wilson joining Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and David Carr in the division.
Josh McDaniels may be having some second thoughts about bringing his visor to Vegas this offseason. He now has to face each of those other quarterbacks twice. Good luck with all of that.
Luckily for the Patriots, they don't have to deal with the entire AFC West for another few years, having just played the division in 2021. The only AFC West team on their 2022 schedule is the Raiders, which is the best-case scenario if you're playing anyone in that division.
But now that the Broncos have a real quarterback, they're going to be right back in the postseason mix, giving the Patriots even more competition just to make the playoffs. Chances are at least one of those AFC West teams are going to make it as a Wild Card team, leaving only two playoff spots available for non-division winners. If the Patriots and other teams are really lucky, those AFC West teams will kick the ever living crud out of each other during the regular season and there won't be much left other than a division winner.
But that is very wishful thinking. And in all likelihood, if the Pats want to do anything in the playoffs, chances are they'll be running into one of those quarterbacks at some point. Just add Wilson to the list of talented QBs the Patriots will have to shut down on defense -- and match on offense -- in order to return to their former glory.
Closer to home, the Patriots already have to contend with Josh Allen twice a season. That didn't work out too well in 2021, outside of the most insane weather game to ever be played in the NFL. You can add Joe Burrow to the AFC's talented QB mix as well, after he cemented himself as the real deal by leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl just a few months ago.
Tuesday's blockbuster trade knocks New England down another peg in the conference. While Mac Jones was impressive as a rookie and should get better in his second season, the Patriots clearly lack the firepower to keep up with the likes of the Chiefs and Bills. The Broncos may also join that conversation soon, with Wilson likely elevating a Denver offense that already has playmakers in running back Javonte Williams and receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. As for the AFC as a whole, the Patriots also slot in behind the Titans and Bengals in the grand playoff picture.
The Patriots already needed to get younger and faster on defense before Tuesday's move, and they knew it. They also need to add at least one more weapon on offense in order to keep up with the elite offenses in the conference.
Both of those needs increase exponentially with Wilson coming to the conference. Life just got a whole lot harder for the New England Patriots.
