Why Robert Kraft's goal for Patriots in 2023 is nearly impossible to achieve
On Tuesday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the media that he wouldn't be satisfied this season without a seventh franchise Super Bowl. As an owner, setting expectations that high for your team is a bold move, but it is especially bold for Kraft, whose organization features a league-average roster and extremely difficult regular-season schedule.
Last year, the Patriots offense ranked 17th in points (21.4) and 26th in yards (314.6) per game. The lackluster offensive display, sparked by the horrendous leadership of offensive play-caller Matt Patricia, resulted in the Patriots finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs despite having one of the best defenses in the league. If the Patriots were to succeed in the coming seasons, they needed to restructure a large chunk of their offense.
Since their final game of the 2022 season, to supposedly fix their awful offense, the Patriots replaced Patricia with Alabama OC Bill O'Brien and signed free agents JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, turning their receiving core from league bottom to league average.
Normally, teams looking to make a rush for the Lombardi make a huge splash in the offseason to completely change the outlook of their roster. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from finishing third in their division in 2019 to Super Bowl champions in 2020 after signing Tom Brady. The Philadelphia Eagles went from wild-card exits in 2022 to NFC champions in 2023 after trading for AJ Brown. As of now, the Patriots have not any moves like those this offseason, which makes Kraft's goals difficult to get behind.
On top of their mediocre roster, the Patriots have the third-hardest regular-season schedule in 2023, according to CBS Sports.
In New England's first three games of the season, in order, they will face the NFC champion Eagles; the ever-so-scary Miami Dolphins with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Jalen Ramsey; and Robert Saleh's revamped New York Jets featuring four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
Later on in the season, the Patriots will face the Cowboys, Chargers and Chiefs in Weeks 4, 13 and 15, respectively, not to mention their division rival Buffalo Bills twice and the Dolphins and Jets one more time.
Barring a major addition, it is plausible for the Patriots to lose their first three games of the 2023 season — and plenty more later on. In that case, New England would be well on its way to not only missing out on Kraft's 2023 Super Bowl dream, but on their third postseason in four years.
The Patriots had a visit with free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins and reportedly offered him a contract, which would be the splash signing needed to shift New England's current state of affairs. But until a deal is done and official with Hopkins, the Patriots remain far from their seventh Lombardi.
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