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New England Patriots: 5 Reasons Why They Can Repeat as Super Bowl Champions

By Nick Ziegler

Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick hold up Vince Lombardi Trophies while standing in front of city hall during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick hold up Vince Lombardi Trophies while standing in front of city hall during the Super Bowl LI Champions parade through downtown Boston. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Weak AFC

One of the reasons why the Patriots will be able to repeat as Super Bowl Champions next season is because of a weak AFC. This season, we saw the Patriots handle the AFC with ease. The only loss they suffered in the conference during the regular season was to the Buffalo Bills. In that loss, they were without both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo.

In the playoffs, the Patriots weren’t challenged either. Against the Houston Texans, the Patriots were able to win easily despite making a lot of mistakes. In the AFC Championship Game, the Pittsburgh Steelers saw their running back Le’Veon Bell leave early with an injury. Even if Bell was healthy, it didn’t appear that the Steelers would have been able to contend with the Patriots.

Next season, the Patriots will likely be challenged by the Oakland  Raiders in the AFC. This season, the Raiders had the awful luck of seeing their star quarterback Derek Carr go down with an injury just prior to the start of the playoffs. Carr getting injured cost the Raiders the division and also resulted in them losing in the first round of the playoffs. While the Raiders will be arguably the toughest team the Patriots could face next season, the Patriots will have the experience factor on their side.

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