Patriots win total preview: Too many questions, not enough talent

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It's been a long time since the New England Patriots entered a season as vulnerable as they are in 2020. Tom Brady is gone, and his successor is still uncertain less than a month before the start of the season. Will anyone be able to lift this club back to 10 wins?

A look back

For eight weeks in 2019, the Patriots looked like they weren't only the year's best team, but one of the best we'd ever seen. Then, it came crashing down. New England went 4-5 down the stretch, getting outscored across those final nine games - including a wild-card loss to the Titans that spelled the end of the Brady era.

The defense faded over that period, too, but their unit was still among the best in the NFL behind an elite secondary and athletic front seven. On offense, not so much. Brady had a career-worst year surrounded by below-average receivers, an ineffective run game, and an offensive line hanging on by a thread.

Mass exodus

All of those concerns from last season? They're still there in 2020, and some of them are even worse. Longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia - who's known for making elite lines out of average talent - is gone, a departure almost as costly as Brady's.

The roster's defensive turnover is costly. Linebackers Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy, both crucial to patrolling the middle in New England's smothering pass defense, left via free agency. Key starters in linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung were among eight Patriots to opt out, a league-high.

And then, of course, there's Brady. He was lackluster a season ago, but still held below-average talent together on offense and put up passable numbers. Is Jarrett Stidham seasoned enough to do the same behind a shaky O-line? Is Cam Newton healthy enough?

Who's behind center?

The most important question for the Pats this year is also the hardest one to answer: who starts at quarterback?

The easy answer is Newton, the former MVP and three-time Pro Bowler who signed with the Patriots in July. But the headline looks better than the reality - Newton has dealt with injuries for two years now, hampering his dual-threat ability and forcing him to make plays in the pocket. That's a problem, since Newton is a career 59.6% passer, and he's only topped 4,000 passing yards once in his nine-year career.

Even if he is healthy, is there enough skill around him? The former Panther didn't have great weapons when he was in Carolina, but they were still better than what he'll have in New England. The Patriots' built their personnel around Brady's ability to throw people open on quick reads for years. That isn't Newton's game, and the Patriots haven't invested in him enough to re-build an offense around their late signing.

If it's Stidham under center, it's hard to imagine a 10-win ceiling without a similar contribution from the defense as last year, which won't happen without those key players. Plus, a more difficult slate doesn't help - the Pats face the hardest schedule by 2019 record - and all three competing teams in the division have markedly improved from last season.

Best bet

Before the Newton signing, it felt like the betting community agreed to fade the Patriots. Then, the excitement of a potential shot-calling savior shook the market. But don't be fooled. Newton's health is a major question mark, proven by the details of his one-year contract. Without elite quarterback play, this team will be lucky to see double-digit wins again.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.