The post-Tom Brady years for the New England Patriots have been rough. While they did make the playoffs in 2021, they have a combined record of 25-25 since Brady decided to leave for Tampa Bay. That is quite a difference compared to the 17 consecutive seasons in which they won at least 10 games.
With Brady officially retired, there is no chance of him returning and saving the franchise. So, what's next for the Patriots and how do they improve as a team? BetMassachusetts.com, your source for choosing the best Massachusetts sportsbooks, is here to tell you what needs to happen.
It All Starts at Quarterback
The first step is getting better at the quarterback position.
Since the start of the 2020 season, the Patriots have had the fourth-fewest passing touchdowns in the league (55). Legal sportsbooks such as BetMGM Massachusetts will likely be offering low point totals for the offense, and low team and player prop bets this upcoming season.
The Pats are also in the bottom 10 of every key passing stat, including yards per attempt, passer rating, touchdown percentage, etc. Since Brady left, the Patriots just haven't been a good passing team, and it's the biggest reason they are so inconsistent from game to game.
That’s led to them being a rather mediocre offense over the last three seasons. Since Brady left, the Patriots are averaging just 23.0 points per game (19th most in the NFL). However, that stat is a bit misleading as the Patriots have scored a ton of points on defense and special teams over the last few seasons. If you remove their “other” scores, their points per game drop to 21.0, which is 22nd in the league since 2020. That’s just not good enough to compete for Super Bowls in the ever-competitive AFC.
To increase the Patriots playoff chances, new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien needs to get more out of Mac Jones. Going into Year 3, Jones needs to show a lot of improvement after a very shaky sophomore year. If Jones can play better, the Patriots will have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs again. But even if that happens, what are their odds of actually going all the way and winning the Super Bowl?
Future Patriots Odds
The current odds for the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LVIII are +6000 at Caesars Massachusetts Sportsbook..
Nineteen teams have better odds than the Patriots, while two other teams (Saints and Vikings) have the same odds. That is alarming as it suggests the Patriots aren’t even inside the top half of the league in terms of talent.
New England is tied for 21st longest odds out of 32 teams with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Two division rivals, Buffalo (second at +650) and Miami (tied for 14th at +3500) are considered better.
For the Patriots to catch teams like the Eagles and Chiefs, who are playing in this year’s Super Bowl, they need to score like them. Those were the two highest-scoring teams in the NFL this season, so it's not surprising they face each other in the biggest game of the year.
New England must find a way to get better on offense and do so in a hurry if they want to have any chance of becoming a legitimate playoff contender anytime soon. The good news is they have one of the league's top defenses and the greatest coach of all time leading the team in Bill Belichick. So, if they can just figure out how to be more efficient and effective on offense, we could see the Patriots right back in the thick of things in the AFC.
Retail sports betting began a week ago in the state and Massachusetts betting apps won’t be far behind in March.
BetMassachusetts.com will be monitoring the Patriots and all the state’s pro teams in terms of sports betting, as well as being your spot for Massachusetts sports betting promos.
