The Patriots have gone four years without a playoff win and they’ve missed making it to the postseason in two of those years, which is a big change from the run they were on for most of the first two decades of the 21st century.
New England’s offseason efforts to change those fortunes have included the hiring of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, the signing of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the addition of seven draft picks in April. Patriots owner Robert Kraft cited the last of those things on Thursday while discussing his outlook for the season, but also alluded to moves that the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets have made over the last few months.
“I liked our draft this year and I hope that translates on the field,” Kraft said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “I know the guys are working very hard. I think we have the most difficult division in the NFL, the best balance of teams — all the other three teams are good. So we’ll have our challenges. But I’m really hopeful about this team.”
The Patriots will see the Dolphins and Jets in the first three weeks of the season and those games will help give early shape to what Kraft and many others expect will be a tough fight for playoff positioning in the AFC East.