How are you, Patriots fans? It’s finally time for this new era of New England football to begin, so it seemed like a great time to check in.
It was a busy offseason (to put it mildly) as the Pats parted ways with the greatest coach of all time, hired a millennial with only five years of experience as an assistant coach to replace him and drafted the quarterback they hope will lead them into the. future
As the season goes on, The Athletics will have you covered with everything you need to know this NFL season, and I’ll be on the ground in Foxboro sharing the latest on the quarterback situation (how soon will Drake Maye play?), Jerod Mayo and Year 1 of this rebuild.
I’ll be joined by columnist Steve Buckley, my seat in the press box, who gets the unfortunate task of watching my empty coffee cups pile up during games. (That’s not a joke about the need for caffeine while watching the New England offense, I swear.)
When you want to go past the Patriots, The Athletics will still have you covered. Get The Pulse delivered to your inbox for quick, fun reading about the biggest stories in the NFL and all of sports. Check the app daily — available on iOS and Google — to get personalized news about the teams that matter most to you. And deep into the NFL with Scoop City as insider Dianna Russini and our NFL reporters bring you the inside scoop.
It should be an interesting season and we are delighted to have you on board. Thanks for reading!
Week 1: at Bengals, Sunday, 1 pm ET (CBS)
Here are some stories to get you ready for the season:
Patriots must-reads:
What I see: Waiting for Drake Maye and other observations
The Patriots are hoping to keep their rookie quarterback playing, but the players and coaches believe they can surprise teams this fall.
Why isn’t Patriots QB Drake Maye starting Week 1?
Would it have been wiser for the Patriots to let Maye take his lumps early and learn on the fly?
Jerod Mayo riding a wave of change as post-Belichick era nears kickoff
The Patriots’ new head coach has big shoes to fill in Belichick’s place, but that doesn’t mean things will be the same in New England.
A beginner’s guide to following what could be a really bad Patriots team
There are many ways to stay positive: The ’24 Pats may cause you to lose sleep, but at least you don’t have to worry about losing your team.
Mayo makes Jacoby Brissett the Patriots starter, but it’s still complicated
If it was truly a QB competition between Brissett and Drake Maye, the rookie should probably start. This was something else at play.
Dealing with 2 tragedies, Christian Gonzalez dealt with much more than injury
Gonzalez’s rookie season ended after just four games, but he dealt with it. Compared to grieving friends, he said, “injuries are nothing.”
The Patriots’ 10 most important players entering the 2024 season
From Keion White to Mike Onwenu, we rank and examine the 10 most important players to the Patriots ahead of the 2024 season.
10 bold (and not so bold) predictions for the Patriots’ season
Ten bold predictions for the Patriots season, including guesses on Drake Maye’s progress and how many wins they end up with.
Roster review: One thought on each player who made the cut
A look at the Patriots’ starting 53-man roster with one thought about each player.
Gillette Stadium guide
(Chris Unger, Ryan Kang, Kevin C. Cox, Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
NFL rankings and insights:
Week 1 Power Rankings
It’s time for a vibration check for every team entering the season.
Quarterback Tiers 2024: Only 2 join Mahomes in Tier 1
Aaron Rodgers missed Tier 1 for the first time in the 11th annual survey of 50 NFL coaches and executives. His successor in Green Bay increased.
Like NFL GMs, coaches really feel about the new kickoff rule
More comebacks? Fewer injuries? The NFL thinks so, but, even after seeing it in the preseason, some coaches and GMs still aren’t sold.
NFL agents dish on best (and worst) franchise, Mahomes’ worth and Dak’s upcoming deal
In our sixth annual agent survey, reps offered thoughts on everything from QB contracts to top talent evaluators to ways to improve the NFL.
Intel on all 32 NFL teams, Russ skepticism, Davante Adams trade talk and more
Dozens of NFL executives and coaches are thinking about how the 2024 season will unfold for each team.
Ten bold predictions: Packers win NFC North, but Caleb Williams for MVP?
Plus: Kyler Murray explodes, the 49ers suffer a Super Bowl hangover and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs make history (again).
Hope-O-Meter results: fan rating optimism for all 32 teams
Optimism in the NFL tends to be closely tied to a team’s starting quarterback. So which fanbases are most optimistic in 2024?
Win total projections | Week 1 schedule
(Photo by Jerod Mayo: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)
