Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski put in his record prediction for the New England Patriots in 2023. He has the team going 9-8 on the year.
Gronkowski believes the hallmark for this Patriots team will be its defense. This would make sense, given that the unit was ranked among the best in the NFL in 2022. Nearly their entire unit is returning from last season, along with the debuts of rookies Christian Gonzalez, Keion White and Marte Mapu.
The pieces are there for New England to succeed, even with the hardest schedule in the league. There is no easing into the schedule either, as the team opens up with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10.
Gronkowski appeared on the “Dan and Ninko Show”, co-hosted by his former teammate, Rob Ninkovich, and gave his thoughts on the 2023 Patriots.
“They got a good defense,” Gronkowski said, via NESN.com’s Tim Crowley. “Solid defense. I don’t think they need to improve in that category. …I think they’re going to be about 9-8. Right around .500.”
An above .500 record would be an improvement after the Patriots finished with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs last season. It wouldn’t be the massive turnaround fans are hoping for, but it could be a step in the right direction.
