It should probably be no surprise that the Patriots are one of the teams with best NFL betting odds for 2015. After all, they’ve been to four-straight AFC championship games, and two of the last four Super Bowls.
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s unprecedented run of success should continue in 2015, but there are a number of questions that will determine if they can get to Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco.
Here are three big ones…
1. Can they solidify the interior of their offensive line?
The Pats offensive line was a weakness for much of the early part of 2014, before settling down once Bryan Stork got healthy at center and Ryan Wendell solidified the right guard spot. However, starting left guard Dan Connolly remains a free agent, and Wendell was thought to be a stop gap on the other side. Re-signing Connolly or bringing in free agent Stephen Wisniewski remain an option, but if both are lost could the Pats be relying on rookies or unproven players to protect Tom Brady? That could be scary.
2. How badly will the defense regress without Revis, Browner and Wilfork?
There’s little question, the Patriots defense is less talented on paper in 2015 than they were in 2014. Their key chess piece up front in Wilfork is gone, while the departure of Revis and Browner could leave the Pats more reliant on zone defense than man. Even when the Pats’ defense was horrible in 2010 they still put up the best record in the NFL. That won’t make them Super Bowl favorites this year, but a young and highly-drafted front seven must take big steps forward to offset significant losses.
3. Who will step up in the backfield?
Both “starting” running backs departed this offseason, with Stevan Ridley headed to the Jets and Shane Vereen going to the Giants. The Pats signed promising receiving back Travaris Cadet to help fill the hole left by Vereen, while second-year player James White should compete for significant snaps as well.
But the early down running back role is the one with the biggest questions. LeGarrette Blount is back, but seems to excel when he can be the late-game hammer rather than the early game establisher. Second-year player Tyler Gaffney missed his rookie season with an injury and could turn some heads, while Jonas Gray didn’t seem many carries last year after running all over the Colts then oversleeping and missing a meeting the following week. Brandon Bolden is more of a special teamer, but has enough experience to contribute in the backfield.
Could the Pats add a new dynamic runner in the draft higher than anyone thinks they will? They’re always full of surprises, but there is enough depth at this point to potentially let competition determine who will be the key cogs at running back.
