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New England Patriots have Top 10 offensive arsenal in 2018

By Nick Ziegler

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots takes the field after the second quarter of Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots takes the field after the second quarter of Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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ESPN recently ranked the top offensive arsenals in the NFL. Where did the New England Patriots rank?

The New England Patriots will be heading into the 2018 season with one of the top offenses in the NFL once again. With the reigning MVP under center in Tom Brady, the Patriots are going to be in good shape on offense once again.

However, the Patriots did suffer some noticeable losses on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. With Brandin Cooks, Dion Lewis, and Danny Amendola all playing elsewhere next season, the Patriots will be weaker on paper than they were last season at the skill positions.

Recently, ESPN ranked the top arsenals in the NFL for this upcoming season. The Patriots came in ranked eighth in their rankings, as it was a dip from last season.

Seeing the Patriots come in the Top-10 in the rankings isn’t too surprising, as they still have some good weapons despite the losses. At tight end, the Patriots have the best one in the NFL in Rob Gronkowski. At wide receiver, while the losses of Cooks and Amendola are significant, the Patriots are pretty deep at wide receiver in 2018.

After he serves his suspension, Julian Edelman will be returning after missing the entire 2017 season with a torn ACL. In addition to Edelman at wide receiver, the Patriots also have Chris Hogan, who has proved to be a solid deep threat for Brady since coming to New England.

At running back, the loss of Lewis was a big one, as he nearly rushed for 1,000 yards in 2017. However, they were able to draft Sony Michel in the first round, who will be able to help replace Lewis’ production. In addition to Michel, the Patriots also retained Rex Burkhead, who had a nice season for them last year.

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Since the rankings didn’t take into account the quarterback position, the Patriots being ranked 8th is certainly fair. Due to the noticeable losses on the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots don’t quite have the weapons that they did last year.

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