The New England Patriots are in dangerous territory. They’ve been flirting with .500, though they’ve hovered below it for most of the season.
Considering the NFL draft awards teams for losing, the middle of the league can be purgatory. A team might just miss the playoffs then land in the middle of the draft order. New England looks like it’ll be one of those teams: not bad but not getting better quickly enough, either. That’s why tanking appeals, even if it doesn’t always work. But, of course, Bill Belichick has preached a win-at-all-costs philosophy for two decades, and he’s been consistent in 2020, even with a roster that cannot win consistently — not even at all costs.
There are so many questions about this roster as the Patriots (5-6) look toward a rebuild in 2021. Unless New England wins every single game left on its schedule, it is probably not making the playoffs in a competitive AFC East.
So let’s dive into the uncertainty surrounding the most important topics.
