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New England Patriots Could Have Perfect Season in 2017

By Stephen Ur

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) celebrates after winning Super Bowl LI while Tom Brady (12), wide receiver Julian Edelman (11), tackle Nate Solder (77), and center David Andrews (60) are in the background. The Patriots defeated the Falcons 34-28 at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) celebrates after winning Super Bowl LI while Tom Brady (12), wide receiver Julian Edelman (11), tackle Nate Solder (77), and center David Andrews (60) are in the background. The Patriots defeated the Falcons 34-28 at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New England Patriots have had a great offseason so far. Could a perfect regular season be in the cards for 2017?

The New England Patriots will be entering the 2017 season as defending Super Bowl champions. They will be looking to be the first back-to-back champions since 2004 and 2005, when the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX.

Outside of the AFC East, they will play the NFC South and the AFC West, as well as the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. Looking at how they match up with these teams, there’s a good chance the Patriots could finish with a perfect (regular) season.

With the NFC East having four teams that could make the playoffs, the NFC South is now the weakest division in the conference. A team with a 7-9 record could make the playoffs, as the Carolina Panthers proved in 2014 (they won the division with a 7-8-1 record.) The Patriots will run through all four of those games with ease.

When it comes to the AFC West, New England has shown they could beat the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The San Diego Chargers beat themselves nowadays, too, so they’ll be no threat to the Patriots.

The only real threat is the Oakland Raiders. New England’s defense will have a tough time containing Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Michael Crabtree.

There is one thing the Patriots do have that the Raiders don’t, and that’s a running game. The Patriots currently have three running backs that can make plays. The Raiders don’t have one. The Texans’ only quarterback is now Tom Savage. There’s no way the Texans go into Foxboro and beat Tom Brady with Savage.

Next: 5 Reasons Why Pats Can Repeat as Champs

When it comes to the Steelers, some may believe that they can beat the Patriots, but that’s not the case. Brady is 7-2 against the Steelers and hasn’t lost to them since 2011. New England as a team has shown they can beat the Steelers the past few meetings. There’s not much competition there.

The Patriots went 16-0 in 2007. They’re looking like they can do it again a decade later.

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