By: Jake Rajala

The New England Patriots aren’t pulling their foot off the pedal in the brutal AFC East. The cyborg head coach, Bill Belichick, has talent on his roster (such as QB Mac Jones, WR DeVante Parker, TE Hunter Henry, OLB Matthew Judon, and FS Devin McCourty) & he also has assistant coaches: Matt Patricia and Joe Judge back at this lab. With that said, I’m going to take a fun angle and untwine 10 bold predictions for the Patriots in 2022.

• Mac Jones throws 30+ passing touchdowns

Mac Jones is no longer a rookie in the league and he clearly has a stronger taste of the NFL speed in his second season. Furthermore, Jones has new ammunition in his sophomore season – such as the new WR1 DeVante Parker. The former Phins wideout is still a year under 30 and I believe his ability shown in 2019 (1,202 yds and 9 touchdowns) isn’t too far behind him.

• Hunter Henry makes the Pro Bowl

The former Los Angeles Chargers TE ousted a personal-best 9 TDs last season. I expect him to blossom in year two with the Pats – especially from a wiser QB1. I believe Henry can make his first Pro Bowl in 2022.

• Josh Uche records double-digit sacks

BB shipped away the former Michigan Wolverine Chase Winovich and the new OLB starter is none other than Winovich’s former teammate at Michigan, Josh Uche. The young edge rusher has shined this off-season and I believe he is due for his best season in 2022 – which could absolutely be a double-digit sack campaign.

• Devin McCourty makes the Pro Bowl

The Pats safety Devin McCourty is like fine wine – as he continues to shine in his old age (and he recently turned 35). He ousted three ints last season and PFF also gave him a potent 76.0 grade. I believe the three-time Pro Bowler will leave everything on the line in potentially his last season and garner a PB berth.

• Matthew Judon is second-team All-Pro (at least)

Matthew Judon proved to be a monster pick-up by the Pats GM – as he recorded a personal-best 12.5 sacks in 2021. I believe he slightly improves – which will result in second-team AP honors (at least).

• Christian Barmore is a Pro Bowler

The Pats x-factor on defense is Christian Barmore in my opinion. The Patriots 2021 second-round pick has freakish physical gifts and he also got his feet wet in year one. In year two – I foresee Barmore being unstoppable in the run game and improving in the passing game – which could lead to him obtaining Pro Bowl honors.

• Ty Montgomery has 5+ TDs

The Pats inked the RB/WR Ty Montgomery in free agency – who has been with the Packers and Saints in his NFL journey. I believe he will be utilized best in New England & Mac Jones will stay efficient by hooking up with him in the red zone. I trust that he can unveil 5+ TDs in 2022.

• Belichick smiles a few times

I know Belichick is an old-school philosopher & a bit of a hard-ass. However, he has tended to be more laid back in his older years. With that said, I believe he will be happy & even smile a few times in his 22nd season with NE. Yes, you read that correctly.

• Nick Folk converts 40+ field goals for the Patriots

The Pats really leaned on their kicker Nick Folk to be a star in 2021 – as he had a career-high 39 attempts (and which he converted a personal-best 36 FGs). I believe he will be called on more than last season and he will shine by converting a whopping 40 FGs.

• Damien Harris runs for 1,200+ yards

The 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris registered an impressive 15 rushing TDs and 929 rushing yds last season. I believe the future will only be brighter for the physical RB that is entering a contract year — hence, I believe he will up his single-season rushing yard tally to 1,200+ yards.

The post 10 bold predictions for the New England Patriots in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New England Patriots defense strives to defeat their opponents by a thousand cuts under the utterly disciplined Bill Belichick. The Patriots have allowed high-end defenders to leave their building, but they have had the mindset that “the show must go on”. The Pats lost J.C. Jackson this off-season, but BB still feels confident in his defense having play-making ability against its opponents.

The Pats pass defense features CB Jalen Mills, CB Terrance Mitchell, SS Kyle Dugger, and the NE legend FS Devin McCourty. They also recently brought back the Super Bowl XLIX legend Malcolm Butler. He was technically retired in 2021, but he nicely hauled in four ints in 2020. Belichick clearly went under the hood to dig up his former pal.

The J.C. Jackson-led Patriots pass defense in 2021 allowed the second-fewest passing yards and fourth-fewest passing touchdowns. It would be an understatement to say it would be a challenge for the Pats defense to match its 2021 success. I expect them to float around the Top-15 mark in pass defense, have turnover magic from McCourty, but still have growing pains at their CB spot. It’s safe to say that Belichick will be eating popcorn and scouting the most superb CFB CBs soon.

The Pats front seven also lost a talented face (Chase Winovich), but they still carry the talented edge rusher Matthew Judon (12.5 sacks in 2021) and the other former Michigan Wolverine Josh Uche. It appears that the Pats will not bring back the veteran Dont’a Hightower. NE ranked 19th in sacks and 22nd in rushing yards in 2021. I foresee the Pats being a middle-of-pack pass rushing unit, but I expect them to have a more impressive run defense with a more mature Christian Barmore. Evan Lazar from the team’s official website noted that the 2021 second-round pick did a ton of conditioning this off-season.

The Patriots defense will need to take on a scrappy, “why not us” attitude in the upcoming season. It’s honestly a bit of a rebuilding season for the Patriots defense, but I expect them to be stingy and rarely get blown out of the building. The second-place AFC East team in 2021 will lean on Mac Jones, but the Pats defense should still be a modest all-around unit in 2022.

The post What to expect from the New England Patriots defense in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.