The New England Patriots enjoyed a successful past campaign as they won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in their history. The Patriots, led by the evergreen Tom Brady at quarterback, beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 back in February and will head into the new season in the knowledge that they are currently the team that everybody wants to beat.
The 2015 schedule was released earlier in April, and the Patriots have been dealt a tricky slate as they bid to defend their crown. Despite this, betfair at the time of writing, has New England as 5/2 to win the AFC conference. We take a look at New England’s regular season schedule and give our thoughts on whether Bill Belichick’s team are good enough to finish as the number one seed and guarantee home advantage throughout the playoffs.
The AFC East will be more competitive this year. The New England Patriots have won their division in 11 of the past 12 seasons, but the AFC East is set to be one of the closest divisions in the NFL this season. The three other teams –New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins – have improved significantly during the offseason.
The Bills finished 9-7 last year and were unfortunate to miss out on a playoff spot. If they can add a quarterback and tighten up their offensive line in the draft, they will have a very good team – especially after acquiring LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and Charles Clay in free agency.
Miami have added talent to their roster, bringing in defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, as well as tight-end Jordan Cameron and wide receiver Kenny Stills. The Dolphins now boast one of the best front seven’s in the NFL and will be one of the most improved teams this year.
Meanwhile, the Jets have also been busy in the offseason. They have signed cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in free agency and the Jets now own one of the best secondary pairings in the entire NFL. If they can draft well and bring in some offensive weapons, they will also be a threat for the AFC East title.
by Keith Allison
Difficult away fixtures at fellow AFC contenders Denver and Indianapolis
The Patriots have to travel to both Denver and Indianapolis this year, but will be confident of picking up a positive result in at least one of these two matches. New England beat the Colts 42-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium last season after an impressive display from running back Jonas Gray.
However, the Indianapolis Colts also strengthened in free agency, adding veteran Frank Gore as well as wide receiver Andre Johnson to their impressive attacking unit. They will be huge threats for the number one seed but if the Patriots can defeat them in their week 6 clash, then the Super Bowl champs will be on the way to one of the top two seeds in the conference.
Meanwhile, the Broncos will be strong again, especially at Mile High Authority Field. The Patriots beat Denver 43-21 last season and will fancy their chances against a Denver side that will need time to adapt under new head coach Gary Kubiak. With Peyton Manning at quarterback, they can beat anyone on their day and New England will need to be solid defense if they are to pick up the victory against the Broncos in Denver.