The New England Patriots, for the first time since 2001, will not have Tom Brady at the helm of their offense. It’s the start of a new beginning for the Patriots, who not only are without Brady but eight players who opted out of the season, including star linebacker Dont’a Hightower. This makes for a more difficult path for Bill Belichick and Co., who aren’t considered to be the favorites in the AFC East.

New England’s defense dominated last year, but no longer have Elandon Roberts, Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Kyle Van Noy or Duron Harmon. No Hightower or Pat Chung, who also opted out, will make it harder for this unit to repeat its success from last season. To make matters worst, the Patriots have the toughest schedule out of any team in 2020 (.537).

However, the Patriots signed former MVP Cam Newton to a one-year deal to compete with Jarrett Stidham for the starting QB job. The Patriots had a very Belichick-esque 2020 draft, where he had no “sexy” picks but rather selected players from schools you hadn’t heard of.

That all being said, if you’ve been watching football in the last decade, you should have learned never to beat against Bill Belichick. And if Newton can bring back what he once was and stay on the field, the Patriots just might continue to do what they do best – win.

So let’s take a look at predictions for each game on the Patriots’ 2020 schedule.