New England Patriots 2023-24 Season Guidebook

While the summer season brings much enjoyment to the average person, for an NFL fan, it represents a desolate wasteland where Sundays just aren't quite as vibrant as in the autumn months.  However, with each passing day, we inch closer to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which officially kicks off on September 7 this year.

Whether you've had your favorite team's tweet notifications turned on all summer or if you've decided to tune out all football news entirely, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about your team going into the 2023-24 season right here.
 
In today's article, I'll be discussing the New England Patriots.

I wrote a guidebook for every team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season.  To check out an article for another team, click the link below:
https://www.bucketsquadsportsreports.com/nfl

2022 Season Recap

The Patriots were mediocre in every sense of the word in 2022.  With a record of 8-9, they finished 3rd in the AFC East and missed out on the postseason for the 2nd time in three years.
 
New England was better defensively as opposed to on the offensive side, but weren’t great in either aspect.  They dealt with some injuries on both sides of the ball, but that’s normal for teams in the NFL.  It’s still unclear to most of the league whether or not Mac Jones is going to be the guy going forward.  Regardless, they’ll have to compete against perhaps the best division in football in 2023 with the massive resurgence in New York.
 
Significant Roster Moves

The Patriots are never afraid to let guys walk in the offseason, and they followed through with that mentality with the list of names in the Losses column above.  But Bill Belichick’s teams can always cycle talent and regroup year after year.  The additions of Ezekiel Elliott, Mike Gesicki, and JuJu Smith-Schuster may add some explosiveness to a rather boring offense a season ago.
 
2023 Draft Class

New England targeted three main position groups with their 12 picks in the 2023 draft: offensive line, secondary, and wide receiver.  They selected four O-linemen in the first five rounds, as well as two defensive backs to start and end the draft.  Their two 6-round receiver selections have high upside and will get decent playing time as rookies.  They also drafted a kicker and a punter who will likely take over those duties in 2023.
 
Season Schedule

The Patriots will take on the AFC West and the NFC East in 2023 to go along with their six divisional games.  Their other three opponents are the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, and Pittsburgh Steelers.  With an opponent prior season win percentage of .549, New England has the 4th hardest schedule in the NFL.

New York’s primetime games include a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh, two Sunday night games versus Miami and at Denver, and a Monday night game versus Kansas City.  They also play in Frankfurt, Germany against Indianapolis in Week 10.
 
Depth Charts

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

The Patriots return 17 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from last year.  This will arguably be the most talented team Bill Belichick has had since Tom Brady left the organization.  They’ll need all those pieces to work efficiently if they want to experience success in a tough division and conference.
 
New England decided to include quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham in the 53-man roster cuts, leaving Mac Jones as the sole quarterback on the roster with just over one week until their first regular season game.
 
Coaching Staff

Head Coach Bill Belichick returns for his 24th season in New England, along with one coordinator from last season: Special Teams Coordinator Cameron Achord (4th season).  After handling both the offensive and defensive playcalling in 2022, Belichick hired Bill O’Brien as Offensive Coordinator for 2023.  O’Brien worked with QB Mac Jones as OC at Alabama after spending six years as head coach of the Texans.
 
Betting Odds

Oddsmakers have set the regular season win total for New England at 6.5 games.  As of right now, the Patriots are the least likely team to win the AFC East and tied for the 12th most likely team to win the AFC.  At +6500 to win Super Bowl LVIII, they are tied for 21st among all teams in the league.
 
Bucket Squad Predictions

Bucket Squad Sports Reports predicts the Patriots to finish 6-11 in 2023 for 4th in the AFC East and 13th in the AFC.  They will unfortunately miss out on the playoffs for another year.

What do you think?  Will New England be better or worse than I'm projecting?  What offseason moves made by the Patriots surprised you the most?  Leave a comment down below and be sure to check the "NFL" section of the website for more NFL team guidebooks as I finish them.

Written by Nick Swatson
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