The Patriots had a rich tradition of winning the past twenty-five years that has come to a halt since 2019. Tom Brady departed and a new regime of players are now looking to revive the dynasty. To do so, it’ll be all hands on deck to get out of a tough AFC that consists of Buffalo, Kansas City, and Los Angeles. Here are the three Patriots players with the most to prove in 2022.
Quarterback Mac Jones
Mac Jones was, in my opinion, the best rookie quarterback last season. The only thing that’ll will hold him back are the fans and media in New England. They are impatient and irritable, and if the Patriots don’t make the second round of the playoffs this year, he will get torched. Mac needs to take another step from where he was last season. In 2021-2022, Jones threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. The biggest things he needs to do is create a bigger margin between touchdowns and interceptions. If he can get to 27-32 touchdowns and 8-10 interceptions then he’ll be golden. With that, the yards will also improve. He has a solid ensemble cast around him with Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield and Hunter Henry, DeVante Parker, and Kendrick Bourne as targets in the pass game.
Cornerback Jalen Mills
With the departure of J.C. Jackson, Jalen Mills will have to take over as the Patriots number one cornerback. He will be in for a treat this year. He’ll have to match up against Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, Amari Cooper, and Justin Jefferson this year, and it’ll be imperative that he has good games to keep the Patriots playoff hopes alive. Last season, Mills tallied 47 tackles and broke up 7 passes with no interceptions. He NEEDS to up his numbers in 2022, to both help the Patriots defense and strike fear in opposing quarterbacks. If he has a hot start with a handful of interceptions and a good amount of pass breakups, opposing quarterbacks will stop targeting him. The Patriots really need him to step up to win games against good teams.
Tight End Jonnu Smith
Jonnu Smith was underwhelming to say the least in 2021. He caught 28 passes for 294 yards and just one touchdown in 16 games last season. The Patriots signed the FIU alum to a 4 year, 50 million dollar deal last season and he didn’t even come close to showing his worth in New England’s offense. I do understand that being productive in a two tight end system is tough, but you need to have better numbers than he did last year. It’s imperative. If he doesn’t improve, then the Patriots will have no issue eating his salary and releasing him. 500 yards, 60 catches, and 5 touchdowns would get the job done. I wouldn’t say Smith is the most important player towards the Pats success, but he really needs prove he is worth the contract.
