Nickolas Loza| October 16th, 2019
The Patriots have started out their 2019-2020 campaign going 6-0 and winning their games by an average of more than 23.0 points, and they’ve been dominating their opponents more thoroughly and they’ve been surprisingly sound compared to their last three seasons where they’ve gotten off to an iffy start. This article will go over their start compared to their 2007 16-0 regular season and how they stack up against the rest of their schedule.
Point Differential and Defense compared to 2007
In 2007, the Patriots scored 230 points in their first six games, and allowed 92 points, so their defense compared to this year wasn’t nearly as stout, but their offense managed to outscore this year’s Patriots team. Conversely, this year’s Patriots have scored 190 points on offense while their defense has allowed only 48 points and has a shutout under its belt. This year’s Patriots team has eight players with two or more sacks, and four players with two or more interceptions. So, to say the least, their defense is vastly superior to their ’07 defense.
There is something to be said about that, however, because this year’s opponents have been easier than their 2007 season’s first six games, and their schedule is soft early on so that could be the reason for the tight defense. In 2007 they faced two teams that would go on to qualify for the playoffs, including the eventual number one seed in the NFC in the Dallas Cowboys. So far this season they really haven’t played any good teams outside of the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers if you want to be generous with the term “good”. Now let’s take a look at how their schedule stacks up compared to the rest of this season.
The Remainder of the Regular Season Schedule
With the Patriots being 6-0, teams are going to be foaming at the mouth to try and knock them off. The next team to get that opportunity is the New York Jets, who just came off a massive upset victory against the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys. This game for the Patriots shouldn’t prove to be much of a problem unless the Patriots decide to toy with the Jets for a little bit.
Week 8 pins the Patriots against the disappointing Cleveland Browns at home, and this game should be an easy victory for the Patriots. Week 9 poses the first real challenge for 8-0 New England Patriots, as they must venture into Baltimore and face the Ravens. This game is the first true challenge for the Patriots, and it could be their first loss.
Week 10 is their bye week, and after that, they face the Eagles, Cowboys, Texans, and Chiefs in that order. This is going to be the biggest obstacle in the Patriots’ way this season, as two or three of these games are challenging and could result in a loss. If the Patriots desire to go 16-0, they must keep on the top of their game during these four weeks.
The last three weeks are games against the tanking Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, and the god-awful Miami Dolphins. The Patriots are most likely going to rest their starters for two of these three games if they’re 13-0, so this would be the last chance for a team to beat them.
The AFC is extremely pedestrian this season, with the Patriots being the only five-win team in the conference. The main team that threatened them last year, the Kansas City Chiefs, are mired in a two-game losing streak.
The New England Patriots look like they’re on track to win the Super Bowl, at least for now they look totally unstoppable and are destroying opponents. This is by far the scariest Patriots team we’ve seen in this 19-year dynasty that they’ve constructed, and right now it genuinely looks like this team could avenge their lost perfect season and go 19-0 and win their seventh Super Bowl in 19 years.
I hope you all enjoyed!
Questions and comments?
thescorecrowsports@gmail.com
Follow Us on Twitter @thescorecrow
Follow Us on Reddit at u/TheScorecrow
Follow Us on Facebook at The Scorecrow
Follow Us on Instagram at The Scorecrow
Facebook Group where you can read and post articles at The Scorecrow
Reddit Group where everyone can post without fear of being banned at The Scorecrow
Follow Nickolas Loza on Twitter @SportsGuyV2
Main Image Credit:
[getty src=”1180323883″ width=”594″ height=”439″ tld=”com”]
