TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEWS
Breaking down all 32 teams, with predictions and schedules.
1 PATRIOTS
COACH: Bill Belichick 2017 RECORD: 13-3 O/U WINS: 11 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 7/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL:
Tom Brady (right) and Belichick won’t let go of The Dynasty just yet. Gronk is Gronk. WR
Chris Hogan will be featured more. RBs
Rex Burkhead, firstround draft pick Sony
Michel and James White give Brady a balanced attack. DE Adrian Clayborn and DT Danny Shelton bolster defensive line. DE Trey Flowers has 13.5 sacks over the past two seasons and is a rising star. LB Dont’a
Hightower is back from a torn pectoral muscle and CB Stephon Gilmore and S Devin McCourty anchor the secondary. LT Trent Brown replaces Nate Solder, and OL coach Dante
Scarnecchia always fields a scrappy, cohesive unit. KR Cordarrelle Patterson is a home-run threat. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels jilted the Colts to stay.
FOURTH-AND-LONG: WR Julian Edelman serves a fourgame suspension. The position has been a revolving door, and out go Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has to replace Matt Patricia.
2 JETS
COACH: Todd Bowles | 2017 RECORD: 5-11 O/U WINS: 5 ¹/2 | SUPER BOWL ODDS: 100/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: QB Sam Darnold is the real deal. DE Leonard Williams (right) and S Jamal
Adams are the faces of the defense. The run defense looks solid with ILB Avery Williamson lurking behind power-broker rookie DL Nathan
Shepherd. CB Trumaine Johnson bolsters the New Jack City secondary. WR Robby Anderson is a deep threat. WR Jermaine Kearse is a pro. RB Isaiah Crowell averages 4.2 yards per carry and has younger legs than departed Matt Forte. Punter Lachlan Edwards can give you a 70-yard punt if you need one. The Bills will stink.
FOURTH-AND-LONG: The pass-rush problem has not been solved. The offensive line is mediocre. The tight end position is in flux. WRs Quincy Enunwa and Terrelle Pryor are talented, but both are returning from injury-marred seasons. The placekicking situation is shaky. As are special teams and the return game. COMPLETE JETS PREVIEW, PAGES 52-53
3 DOLPHINS
COACH: Adam Gase 2017 RECORD: 6-10 O/U WINS: 6 ¹/2 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 125/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: QB Ryan Tannehill (left) is back after missing 2017 with a knee injury. New LG Josh Sitton will mentor rebounding LT Laremy Tunsil, who is seeking a bounce-back season. RB Kenyan Drake is a dual threat with 35-yearold Frank Gore forever young as insurance. WR Danny Amendola is a chain mover. DE Cameron Wake can still bring the heat at 36 and gets help from Robert Quinn and Charles Harris. Thirty sacks in 2017 shouldn’t be hard to beat. S Reshad Jones and CB Xavien Howard and rookie firstround pick Minkah Fitzpatrick offer hope for an improved secondary. MLB Raekwon McMillan (torn ACL) will provide leadership after missing his rookie season. Rookie TE Mike Gesicki is a weapon. WR Kenny Stills is a deep threat. Gase will be a better offensive guru with Tannehill instead of Jay Cutler. FOURTH-AND-LONG: WR Jarvis Landry takes his 112 receptions to Cleveland. DT Ndamukong Suh is in Los Angeles and mocking the Dolphins’ run defense. Center Mike Pouncey is in Los Angeles (Chargers). Daniel Kilgore is not necessarily a downgrade, however. Former first-round WR DeVante Parker has been a disappointment. The corner opposite Howard will be picked on.
4 BILLS
COACH: Sean McDermott 2017 RECORD: 9-7 O/U WINS: 6 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 200/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: RB LeSean McCoy (below) has caught 50 or more passes five times and rushed for more than 1,000 yards six times. CB Tre’Davious White (four INTs, 11 pass breakups) was Pro Football Focus’ Rookie of the Year. Former Pro Bowl CB Vontae Davis and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer give McDermott comfort in the secondary. DTs Kyle Williams and Star Lotulelei will stuff the run. WR Kelvin Benjamin is a red-zone threat. Firstround LB Tremaine Edmunds has a chance to be a star one day. PK Stephen Hauschka was 29-of-33 on FGs last season. FOURTH-AND-LONG: McCoy is 30 and may be facing a suspension. Overmatched QB Nathan Peterman is the Week 1 starter. Rookie QB Josh Allen is a project. The offensive line might be the league’s worst with Cordy Glenn, Eric Wood and Richie Incognito gone. DE Jerry Hughes hasn’t been a doubledigit sacker since 2014, and he’s the best they have. ILB Preston Brown has taken his 144 tackles to Cincinnati. WR Zay Jones caught only 27 passes as a rookie and was involved in what was described as a “bizarre nude arrest” in the offseason.