Second Quarter Of The Season

Week 5 vs Denver Broncos

Similar to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Denver Broncos are a team that no one is sure how they’ll do. They could go 6-11 or 11-6. Drew Locke will get his first full season at the quarterback position and the Broncos will see if he can continue what he flashed at the end of last season.

Vic Fangio’s defense is always a tough go-around and their pass rush is still among the best in the league with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. The running back duo of Melvin Gordon and Philip Lindsey will be difficult to handle. If the game was at Mile High, it probably swings in Denver’s favor. But at home, the Patriots will be able to grind out a close win to move to 3-2.

Week 7 vs. San Francisco 49ers

Coming off the bye week, the Patriots welcome the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers to Foxboro. It will be the first meeting between Jimmy Garoppollo and the Patriots since he was traded away rom New England in the middle of the 2017 season.

The 49ers’ defense is among the best in the league, even after trading DeForest Buckner to the Colts. There’s still Nick Bosa, the NFC Defensive. Rookie of the Year, and Arik Armstead on the front line, with Fred Warner leading the linebacker corps. This will another defensive battle, but this time, the Patriots will find themselves on the losing end, going to 3-3 on the season.

Week 8 at Buffalo Bills

For the third week in a row, it’s going to be a battle of the defenses with the Patriots in a matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills’ defense helped them to an 10-6 record last year and a Wild Card berth. Only the Patriots allowed less total points.

But it’s the offense that has gotten better and could be the difference maker. Duel-threat QB Josh Allen now has Stefon Diggs paired alongside John Brown at wide receiver. Devin Singletary should be getting more reps in his second year in the backfield. It’s a very tough Buffalo team to play, especially in Buffalo, and for that, the Patriots will fall to 3-4.

Week 9 at New York Jets

The New York Jets are far and beyond the worst team the Patriots will play in 2020. The Jets did upgrade their offensive line, which was atrocious last season, allowing 3.2 sacks per game, fourth-most in the league. This should allow both LeVeon Bell and Sam Darnold to have better seasons.

However, Jamal Adams was traded away and newly-signed C.J. Mosley opted out of the season. Their defense takes a huge hit without those two. The offense for the Jets won’t get anything going against New England’s defense. A much-needed Monday Night Football win for the Patriots after two very tough matchups should bring their record to 4-4.