
1. New England Patriots (1)
With the preseason officially out of the way, the challenge for the New England Patriots becomes adjusting to life without Tom Brady over the first four games of the regular season.
Jimmy Garoppolo will run the Patriots’ offense while Brady deals with his suspension and based off the performances from the preseason, Bill Belichick has every reason in the world to feel confident with his third-year quarterback. Even if he’s only appeared in 11 regular season games over the last two years without a single start, Garoppolo looked sharp in the preseason, but the real challenge is just getting underway.
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When looking at the four games Brady will miss, the New England Patriots could easily go 2-2 with tough matchups against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills. It certainly won’t be easy at times, but at least life will be easier for Garoppolo with all of the weapons on offense.