ESPN Shares ‘Bold Prediction’ For Patriots After NFL Schedule Release

The NFL world had mixed reactions to the 2022 schedule. The New England Patriots had expected reaction to the schedule release. They will play against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and yes, the Buffalo Bills will meet Bill Belichick in the final game of the regular season. Interesting, right? Hopefully, history won’t repeat itself this time. The Patriots lost the game to the Bills last season. They also lost the wild-card game to the team.

There have been several predictions about the upcoming season and ESPN’s Mike Reiss offered his. He warned everyone about the game against the Bills and also reminded the world of the blowout loss that sealed Mac Jones’ chance to win a championship in his rookie campaign.

“The Patriots will need to beat the Bills in the regular-season finale to secure a playoff berth, and it will be intriguing to see how it unfolds if Buffalo has already solidified its own playoff seeding. The Patriots’ 2021 season ended in embarrassing fashion at Buffalo in a 47-17 playoff loss, and in this scenario, they would have a chance to write a different story a year later.”

Patriots are preparing for the toughest opponents after the schedule release

The Bills did an incredible job last season, beating Belichick and the Patriots on their way up. They are favorites to beat their division opponents, sitting at -225. The Dolphins have their odds at +450 and the Patriots are installed at +550.

Belichick made a few moves here and there in the offseason, but he wasn’t really explosive. The Patriots traded for DeVante Parker and he will probably take the leading position in the group. When it comes to the 2022 NFL Draft, the Patriots made a few surprising moves, and getting a quarterback was super shocking. Belichick got a few versatile players and this should be enough to cover up some of the holes on the roster.

Jones has a good bond with Parker and this will set up the foundation of a long-term partnership. Let’s see what happens in OTAs. Patriots players will have to earn their spot on the 53-man roster.