The Tom Brady era is over and the Mac Jones era has only begun in New England. In his rookie season, Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff appearance. However, the AFC East grew stronger in the offseason as the Bills strengthened their defense by acquiring Von Miller and the Dolphins made a splash, pun intended, by acquiring Tyreek Hill.
What can we expect from Jones and the rest of the Patriots in 2022? Let’s find out.
New England Patriots breakdown
2021 record: 10-7
2021 ATS record: 10-7
2021 O/U record: 9-8
Key players in: Ty Montgomery (RB), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (WR), DeVante Parker (WR), Mack Wilson (DE), Malcolm Butler (CB), Jabrill Peppers (S)
Key players out: N’Keal Harry (WR), Shaq Mason (G), Ted Karras (C), Chase Winovich (DE), Jamie Collins (LB), Dont’a Hightower (LB), Kyle Van Noy (LB), J.C. Jackson (CB)
2022 NFL Draft class: Cole Strange (G), Tyquan Thornton (WR), Marcus Jones (CB), Jack Jones (CB), Pierre Strong (RB), Bailey Zappe (QB), Kevin Harris (RB), Sam Roberts (DT), Chasen Hines (C), Andrew Stueber (OT)
New England Patriots 2022 NFL season odds
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
New England Patriots Super Bowl odds
The Patriots are +5000 to win Super Bowl LVII, which has them near the bottom of the pack.
New England Patriots AFC Championship odds
New England is +2500 to win the conference. Only the Steelers (+5000), Jaguars (+6500), Jets (+7500), and the Texans (+13000) have worse odds.
New England Patriots AFC East odds
At +500, the Patriots are third favorites to win the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills are first at -225, and the Miami Dolphins are second at +450.
New England Patriots win total odds
The Patriots’ win quota is 8.5 games. Over 8.5 is the slight favorite at -115, while the under comes with -105 odds. New England is not expected to make the playoffs at -200, but if you are willing to risk a bet on the Patriots to make the playoffs, that would pay out at +160 odds.
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New England Patriots Schedule 2022
at Miami Dolphins – Sunday, September 11
at Pittsburgh Steelers – Sunday, September 18
vs Baltimore Ravens – Sunday, September 25
at Green Bay Packers – Sunday, October 2
at Detroit Lions – Sunday, October 9
at Cleveland Browns – Sunday, October 16
vs Chicago Bears – Monday, October 24
at New York Jets – Sunday, October 30
vs Indianapolis Colts – Sunday, November 6
BYE
vs New York Jets – Sunday, November 20
at Minnesota Vikings – Thursday, November 24
vs Buffalo Bills – Thursday, December 1
at Arizona Cardinals – Monday, December 12
at Las Vegas Raiders – Sunday, December 18
vs Cincinnati Bengals – Saturday, December 24
vs Miami Dolphins – Sunday, January 1
at Buffalo Bills – TBD
We’ll have NFL picks for EVERY matchup of the 2022 season
New England Patriots 2021 season recap
Mac Jones exceeded expectations in his first season with the Patriots, leading New England to the Wild Card round as a rookie. Jones was considered one of the most “NFL ready” quarterbacks in the 2021 draft, and it showed as the Patriots finished the season 10-7. New England had some impressive wins throughout the 2021 season, as 5 of their 10 wins came by 3 touchdowns or more, including a 36-13 win over the Titans, 45-7 win over the Browns and a 25-0 win over the Falcons. It’s impressive to consider Jones was able to have such a successful season when his no. 1 receiver was Jakobi Meyers. But Jones began to develop a connection with tight end Hunter Henry, and he became one of the rookie’s favorite red zone targets.
Also bursting onto the scene in New England was the third-year running back Damien Harris, another Alabama product, who ran for 929 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in 15 games. However, this surprisingly good season was ruined with an embarrassing 47-17 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.
Read our Super Bowl 57 predictions and best bets, including a +4500 longshot
New England Patriots 2022 NFL season predictions
The Patriots have upgraded their receiving corps with the additions of DeVante Parker and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who are two much-needed boosts for Jones. That’s not all the Patriots did, as they strengthened their defense with the signing of Mack Wilson and the return of Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler to replace Mr. INT, J.C. Jackson. The biggest thing holding the Patriots back from success in 2022 is their own division. The Bills have taken over as the kings of the AFC East and the Dolphins brought in Tyreek Hill along with several other offensive threats. The Jets are finally starting to get taken more seriously, but they should still be 2 wins for New England.
The first half of New England’s season will be key since the majority of their tough opponents will come after their Week 10 bye. It’s very possible for the Patriots to be 6-3 by the time they head into their bye, as the only losses I see happening are to Baltimore, Green Bay and Indianapolis. Fortunately for the Patriots, they play the Browns in Week 6 which is the last week of Deshaun Watson’s suspension. The rest of their season is when it gets tough with the Bills twice, the Cardinals, Raiders and Bengals. It’s officially Jones’ team, and he will look to lead the Patriots back to the postseason for the second time in the post-Tom Brady era.
Best bet: New England Patriots Over 8.5 wins (-115)
I predict that the Patriots will finish with 9 wins in 2022. That doesn’t leave a ton of room for error for this bet, but I believe the Patriots could surprise a few people this season. Now, I’m not expecting New England to beat the Bills or make a playoff run, but they’re a good enough team for a record above .500. If the Patriots can win 6 of their first 9 games, which isn’t asking too much, that puts them in a great position to win 9 games.
Maybe New England can steal a game from the Ravens or Colts and be 7-2 going into the bye week, which would really minimize the sweat of this bet. But predicting them to be 6-3 after 9 games means they need to win just 3 games against the Bills (twice), Jets, Vikings, Bengals, Cardinals, Raiders and Dolphins. It won’t be the easiest few weeks for the Patriots, but 3 wins in 8 games is a manageable task for Bill Belichick. Don’t expect them to fly over this total, but New England can finish above .500 in 2022.
New England Patriots season record predictions
Being above .500 is a tough ask in the AFC these days, but New England should finish 9-8 in 2022. Not the best season, but not a terrible one either, as it gives Jones another year to develop with Belichick. As long as everyone stays healthy for the Patriots, they should have a respectable season in 2022.
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