The toughest game on the Patriots’ schedule was the game against the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 1. No Brady, no Gronk and yet, they pulled out an upset in Phoenix with Jimmy Garoppolo at Quarterback. Brady won’t be back for another three games, but Gronkowski will most likely be on the field in Week 2, and that should be enough for Patriots to be still undefeated not only after next week but even after Week 4.
The next three games for the Patriots will be on their home turf against the Dolphins, Texans, and Bills. Miami has shown that they are decent on the defensive side of the ball, but they played against Seahawks’ offense that had injured Russell Wilson and also had to cope with the hole that Marshawn Lynch left in that backfield after he retired. On the other hand, Tannehill and his offense looked anemic and unable to move the chains.
Texans had a pretty good outing in Week 1 but not against best-of-the-best competition. They could cause some troubles for Garoppolo as they have a great pass rush but at the end of the day their corners can get exposed, and they still have a QB who needs to prove that he can put some good performances together and show that he can be good consistently.
Bills are a mess. Their defense showed up against Ravens’ lackluster offense, but their offense looked putrid. Couldn’t move the chains, couldn’t run the ball, really didn’t do anything on offense. And by the way, Rex Ryan‘s job should be in jeopardy. 8-9 as a Bills’ head coach with this kind of a team is just not good enough.
Jimmy and company should have some trouble beating the Texans in Week 3 at Gillette Stadium, but they should still be considered the favorites. As far as the games against their division rivals, they should easily beat both of them, especially the Bills who are looking like the worst team in the AFC East, at least at the moment. Bill Belichick now knows that he can be 4-0 before he gets his star Quarterback back in the lineup and knows that he can count on Jimmy Garoppolo to deliver for him while Brady is serving his suspension.
