At this point of their combined future Hall of Fame careers, anything less than winning a Super Bowl title is unacceptable for superstar quarterback Tom Brady and widely-revered head coach Bill Belichick. You see, with an unprecedented six Super Bowl titles in hand, including last season’s Super Bowl 53 title, the New England Patriots are playing for championships and nothing less.
Whether New England reaches their fourth straight Super Bowl or whether they come up short in their quest for league-wide dominance, as always, there are a bunch of things you need to know about the Patriots before they take to the gridiron for the upcoming 2019 NFL regular season. Let’s find out what you need to know about the perennially-powerful AFC East Super Bowl hopefuls.
New England Patriots 2019 NFL Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 11-5 (W-L) / 9-7-0 (ATS) / 6-2-0 (Home) / 3-5-0 (Away) / 1-4-0 (Grass) / 8-3-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 5-11-0 (W-L) / 2-6-0 (Home) / 3-5-0 (Away) / 3-2-0 (Grass) / 2-9-0 (Turf) / 47.6
Not only did the Patriots win 11 games last season, but they also narrowly recorded a winning ATS mark by covering the chalk six times in eight home contests and three times on the road. New England’s underrated defense also helped them play Under the O/U total a whopping 11 times including six times at home and five on the road.
Offense
- Total Yards: 393.4 / Rank 5
- Passing Yards: 266.1 / Rank 8
- Rushing Yards: 127.3 /Rank 5
- Points Scored: 27.2 / Rank 4
- Field Goal %: 84.4 / Rank 16
New England also drafted Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry with the final pick in the first round before adding Alabama running back Damien Harris and West Virginia tackle Yodny Cajuste, both, in the third round. New England also drafted quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round in the hopes that he could potentially take over for Brady – if he ever retires that is.Despite their lack of big name players besides Tom Brady, New England closed out the 2018 regular season ranked a stellar fifth in total offense, eighth in passing, fifth in rushing and fourth in scoring (27.2 ppg). To address their needs on the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots signed veteran wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, running back Branden Bolden, wide receivers Maurice Harris and Bruce Ellington and tight end Matt LaCosse in free agency.
Defense
- Total Yards: 359.1 / Rank 21
- Passing Yards: 246.4 / Rank 22
- Rushing Yards: 112.7 /Rank 11
- Points Allowed: 20.3 / Rank 7
- Field Goal %: 86.2 / Rank 17
Defensively, the Patriots finished an uninspiring 21st overall and even more discouraging 22nd against the pass. Still New England somehow managed to finish 11th against the pass and a solid seventh in points allowed (20.3 ppg). To address their needs on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots re-signed veteran cornerback Jason Courtyard, linebacker John Simon, defensive tackle Mike Pennel, safety Terrence Brooks and punter Ryan Allen in free agency before adding Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams and Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich in the second and third rounds on the NFL draft respectively.
Team Leaders
- Touchdowns: James White (12)
- Rushing: Sony Michel (931)
- Passing: Tom Brady (4355)
- Receiving: Julian Edelman (850)
- Sacks: Trey Flowers (7.5)
- Interceptions: Duron Harmon (4)
A year ago, veteran running back James White led the team in touchdowns scored with five TD runs and seven touchdown receptions in his fifth season. However, it was rookie running back Sony Michel that really shined by rushing for a team-high 931 yards and six scores while topping the 100-yard plateau six times.
The incomparable Tom Brady completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,355 yards with 29 TD passes and 11 interceptions while adding his first two rushing scores since recording three on the ground back in 2015. Veteran wide receiver Julian Edelman completed his 11t season with a team-high 850 receiving yards while defensive end Trey Flowers led the Pats in sacks in his third year and veteran defensive back Duron Harmon recorded four interceptions for the second straight season.
Outlook
New England is so far ahead of rebuilding Miami, Buffalo and the New York Jets, that they can almost be counted in for six division wins (what’s new?) though Miami somehow manages to give them hell when they visit South Beach every year. The Pats also have some difficult non-division matchups against Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City.
Nevertheless, I’m thinking five division wins are going to help the Patriots reach the double-digit win mark again wit 11 victories in 2019. As long as Brady and Belichick have been joined at the hip, New England has made a habit out of challenging for a Super Bowl berth no matter who suits up for them on either side of the ball and I expect nothing less than another challenge for conference supremacy in the AFC at the very least!
