This year’s Patriots team has a good shot at the team’s fourth Super Bowl championship. The Pats are coming off of a season that was plagued by injuries but still ended strong. The Patriots made it to the AFC championship game for the third straight season where they fell short to Peyton Manning’s Broncos.

This year the team is rejuvenated after returning franchise names like Vince Wilfork and Rob Gronkowski. The team’s defense which has been shaky in the past may even be one of the very strong points this season after signing Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. The secondary looks strong with these new backs joining Devin McCourty in pass defense. There will be a strong pass rush and run defense in the outside with Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins returning. It will be impossible to miss big Vince Wilfork clogging up the middle of the line.

Though a Cowboys fan, Ryan Walsh ’15 thinks “the Pats are going to be a team to watch. All I’m saying is that I’m happy the Cowboys aren’t playing them.” The team’s offense has shown no signs of slowing down with the returning receiving leader Julian Edelman renewing his contract and Rob Gronkowski coming off his injuries and starting off healthy once again. If Steven Ridley has a good push from the offensive line anchored by Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer he should be able to rack up another 1000 yard season. Other notable receivers will be Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson, who are both coming off big rookie seasons where they were forced to make plays as a result of offensive injuries.

If all goes well and the team can stay healthy, the Patriots are looking strong. There’s no reason that they can’t make another run for the Super Bowl. The Broncos will be an opponent to watch out for in the AFC again, but it should be a great season to watch.