3 disastrous scenarios for the New England Patriots in the 2023 season

Could the New England Patriots hit rock bottom in the 2023 NFL season? Let's dive into three nightmare scenarios for the team in the coming year. Maybe the best thing for the future of the team is for them to bottom out and embrace a rebuild.

It sounds ridiculous, but it could make some sense. Maybe it's time to completely close the doors on this chapter in team history and go in a different direction from top to bottom. Well, while that could bring long-term success, there is a chance, still, that the Patriots rebound in 2023 and return to being a competent football team.

Them being in the AFC is a huge disadvantage. There are so many playoff-caliber teams, and I'm truly not sure if the Pats are one of them. They might have two elite players on the roster and do lack high-end talent on offense.

Could the Patriots endure some nightmare scenarios in 2023? Let's cover three of them.

3 disastrous scenarios for the New England Patriots in the 2023 season

1. Mac Jones quickly proves he isn't the answer, gets benched for Bailey Zappe

One disaster scenario would hit the team right off the bat. What if Mac Jones simply isn't cut out to be an NFL QB? He'd begin the season as the starter and would quickly prove he's in over his head. It would be an unfortunate sight and would likely put the dagger in any chance that Jones had at being the franchise QB.

Jones would quickly get benched, likely within the first few weeks, and Bailey Zappe would proceed to take over. It's not that Zappe is necessarily a bad quarterback, but seeing Zappe as the QB1 at any point during the season likely means something went very wrong.

Zappe might end up being a fine QB in the NFL, but he doesn't appear to have the necessary qualities that a team would seek in a franchise passer. Zappe might be able to stick around on the team, even through a rebuilding phase, but I think Zappe might be best suited for emergency starting duties and any sort of clean-up work that needs done.

Mac Jones fizzling out quickly into the 2023 NFL season would be a terrible sight.