The New England Patriots open their 2024 season on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Most NFL experts and fans expect it to be a long year for the re-formed Pats as they enter the first year of the post-Bill Belichick era. But beyond the record, what will Jerod Mayo’s group look like? Which players will establish themselves as key pieces for the future of the franchise?
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Ahead of the Week 1 showdown in Cincinnati, Phil Perry shared his big predictions for the Patriots’ 2024 season in a new episode of the Next Pats Podcast.
“Controlled chaos” in defence
“I expect the Patriots to have a top-five blitz rate with (defensive coordinator) DeMarcus Covington in 2024,” Perry said. “How do you try to generate a pass rush when you’re missing those stars in terms of talent? You throw numbers at the problem. … I also think they trust their secondary so much that they won’t mind adding extra players to the pass rush.”
Big year for Keion White
“Keion White is going to lead this team in sacks,” Perry said. “In terms of physical talent, there’s nobody better. … From Year 1 to Year 2, we should just see more consistent signs of that physical talent. We’ve seen it all camp. This guy is strong, he’s long, and I think when he gets between the white lines, he has the attitude you expect from those bull-rush pass rushers that could lead to big numbers from Keion White.”
Christian Gonzalez: Pro Bowler
“I’m excited about Christian Gonzalez,” Perry said. “He didn’t have a great training camp. I still haven’t heard anything but optimism about Christian Gonzalez going into his second year. … They think he’s a really good player, and they’re going to need him to be a really good player so they can keep these games close and stay relatively competitive week to week this season. …
“My prediction is that Christian Gonzalez makes the Pro Bowl in his second year. … I think that’s a realistic — maybe lofty, but realistic — expectation for Christian Gonzalez based on his draft, what we’ve seen from him in approaches against excellent competition, and based on what I know about what the people in the building who are around him on a daily basis think about him as a player and his potential.”
Listen to the entire episode to hear all of Perry’s predictions, including when rookie quarterback Drake Maye will take the field.
Also in the episode: An in-depth conversation with DeMarcus Covington, the Patriots’ defensive coordinator.
