Game-by-Game Predictions for the New England Patriots' 2013 Schedule

Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans isn't quite visible on the horizon yet. Still, it only takes one rogue gust of wind to send a faint whiff of gumbo and catfish our way.

The temptation of that sweet whiff must be resisted.

Forget the Super Bowl right now. Keep focused on the Texans, because they're coming to win. The Patriots need to be ready to steal the momentum, thwart Houston's plans, dictate the pace of the game and play on their own terms.

It's important that the Patriots stay fearless in the face of this brutal opponent, but it's equally important that they accept the fear that comes with an elimination game. Fear of going home is why the great teams stick around and keep playing. Champions only go home when there's nobody left to beat.  

On Sunday, the Patriots will go to war.

But until then, here's a little treat to tide you over. The Patriots' 2013 schedule hasn't been released yet, but we already know the teams they'll be playing.  

Here are game-by-game predictions for New England's 2013 season.

Patriots at Ravens

The Ravens win games on both sides of the ball. They have legendary defensive players who can stifle strong offenses, but they also have a solid offense that can get the best of strong defenses. Their status as an elite team is unquestionable. 

But are they getting better? It's debatable.

For other teams, progress is more certain. The Broncos are definitely getting better. The Seahawks are positively growing in stature. The Redskins took giant strides this season. The Falcons made a major jump.

The Patriots themselves strengthened the weaknesses in their secondary and in their pass rush, making them tougher and more complete. These teams improved in very clear, very drastic ways.

The same can't be said for the Ravens this season. They lost to the Eagles, Texans, Steelers, Redskins, Broncos and Bengals. They only beat the Chiefs and Chargers by a field goal apiece. They lost four of their last five games of the season.

In ten games, Joe Flacco threw one or zero touchdowns. He also threw 10 picks. The only other major quarterback who can get away with shaky numbers like that is Eli Manning. The difference is: Manning has two Super Bowl rings, while Flacco has none.

There's two other big issues here: Ray Lewis' looming departure and Ed Reed's upcoming stint in free agency. When you couple those factors with the team's inconsistency, the Ravens could be in for a bumpy path. 

Prediction: Patriots Win

Jets at Patriots

There are two types of decisions: hard ones and easy ones.

For a shining example of a team that made a hard decision, look at the Seahawks. They acquired Matt Flynn to be their starting quarterback, gave him a big multi-year contract, then made the hard decision to go with rookie Russell Wilson instead.

The 49ers made a hard decision, too. After all the time and energy invested in Alex Smith, they went with Colin Kaepernick instead.

Back in 2001, when Drew Bledsoe returned from his injury, Bill Belichick made the hard decision to stick with backup quarterback Tom Brady instead.

Hard decisions are hard for a reason: The results are unpredictable. It's a big gamble for a major loss or a truly major reward. It takes a strong person to make a strong decision. It's scary.

But fortune favors the bold; that's why the Seahawks, 49ers and Patriots are still in the playoffs.

In stark contrast, if you're looking for a team that makes easy decisions, look at the Jets. 

Replacing Brian Schottenheimer was an easy decision. Committing to Mark Sanchez with an extension was an easy decision. Not giving Tim Tebow enough playing time was an easy decision. Firing Mike Tannenbaum was an easy decision.

A hard decision would've been to fire Rex Ryan. A hard decision would've been to cut ties with Mark Sanchez and draft a quarterback. A hard decision would've been to change the entire culture of the franchise.

Instead, the Jets made easy decisions. They always do. That's why they lose. 

Prediction: Patriots Win 

Saints at Patriots

The last time the Saints and Patriots met in the regular season was back in 2009. Drew Brees had a wild game, throwing 371 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

The Saints won that contest, 38-17, en route to an eventual Super Bowl victory.

Much has changed since then. Only one season removed from dropping a heartbreaker to the 49ers in the playoffs, the Saints spent all of 2012 stumbling. They lost nine games and missed the playoffs.

Next season will be a rebuilding year for the Saints, both externally and internally. It's a major project, but it's the only way they'll return to championship form. They can find their way back to the top. But the thing is, in the midst of all that change, they'll have a showdown with a very strong Patriots team.

Look for Tom Brady to have his best game of the season.

Also, keep an eye on Brady's active streak of consecutive games with a passing touchdown, which currently stands at 48. Brees holds the record with 54. This could get interesting. 

Prediction: Patriots Win   

Steelers at Patriots

All too often, the Steelers are at the mercy of their own sporadic health.

Troy Polamalu played only seven games this season, and David DeCastro missed the whole year. Ben Roethlisberger played the majority of the season, but as usual, he battled ugly injuries along the way.

Down seasons from Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace have only contributed to Pittsburgh's inconsistency.

The team's defense has remained freakishly elite (top in the league in total net yards for the second straight year), but their overall identity is getting lost in a haze. Are they a young team or an old team? Are they the team they want to be, or are they becoming the team they want to be?

Better question: Is this the beginning, middle or end of the Steelers as we know them? Tough to say. They seem to be caught in space and time, trapped between their old guard and their new guard, but with little knowledge of who's coming or who's going. 

Until they sculpt a new identity, or at least reinforce the old one, they'll continue to come up short.

Next season's game against the Patriots will unfold accordingly.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots at Bengals

The Texans gave the Bengals every opportunity imaginable to win last weekend's Wild Card game. Instead, Andy Dalton delivered a performance that was atrocious enough to earn the loss.

Dalton's judgments in gauging coverage were suspect at best. His passes were overthrown, under-thrown and altogether haywire. He threw 127 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He didn't convert a single third down. His performance was bad on an epic scale.

It was a catastrophe.

Until the Bengals find a new quarterback, they won't get out of the first round of the playoffs.

They won't beat the Patriots, either.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Browns at Patriots

Trent Richardson had a great rookie season, plunking down 950 yards on 267 carries with 11 rushing scores. This guy has the potential to be amazing.

But the Patriots have proven that they can stop elite runners from taking over football games. They held Chris Johnson to four rushing yards, Willis McGahee to 51 yards and Arian Foster to 46 yards. They also held C.J. Spiller to 33 yards and 70 yards, respectively, over two games.

The Patriots will bottle Richardson's production and take him out of the game. When they do, Cleveland's options will dwindle. They only averaged 18.9 points per game this season, with a high of 34 points. In stark contrast, the Patriots averaged 34.8 points per game, with a high of 59 points.

The Patriots will pour the points like gravy.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots at Jets

Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been with the Jets for four years. In that time, he's thrown more interceptions than passing touchdowns (69 picks, 68 scores).

This season, his offense averaged 17.6 points per game (lowest in the AFC East). They missed the playoffs for the second consecutive time.

But here's the oddest part: Sometimes, it doesn't seem like the Jets are aware that there's a problem. 

Take a look at this recent quote from Sanchez:

"

In my opinion, I underachieved and didn't play the way I'm capable of playing. Unfortunately, that led to some losses and things like that. We just have to get better and take some time and get away from the game a little bit and come back strong next year.

I just had a good talk with Rex, and I know we're destined for great stuff here. I know we can be successful here. That's what I'm focused on. I'm excited to come back next year and do my best.

There are some situations where I need to play better. There are some great plays and some great throws and then there were some not so good things...Those are the things I need to focus on this offseason and try and fix those and put us in a better position to take care of the football.

"

These words sound familiar, don't they? The sentiment has similar overtones to a Rex Ryan quote from last summer, regarding his outlook for the 2012 Jets:

"

Overall, in my opinion, I think this has a chance to be the best team that I’ve had since I’ve been the coach here.

"

There is a word that defines this type of thinking. I'll give you a hint: It's defined as a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact.

Can you guess the word?

Delusion. 

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots at Falcons

There are those who believe the Falcons are contenders and those who believe the Falcons are pretenders. Truthfully, there's enough evidence to support either perspective.

On one hand, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is really finding his groove. In 2011, he threw 4,177 yards and 29 touchdowns. In 2012, he threw 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns. He's steadily improving.

But here's the thing: Ryan has zero playoff wins. That's a glaring stain on his numbers. When you couple his production with his lack of playoff wins, he begins to look a lot like Tony Romo.

Case in point: Romo had another solid season from a statistical standpoint: He threw 4,903 yards and 28 touchdowns. But here's the most important factor: The Cowboys missed the playoffs again. Romo only has one playoff win in his career. That greatly damages any sort of legacy he's tying to carve.

If Matt Ryan is serious about being good enough to beat the Patriots, he needs to shed his similarities to Tony Romo. He needs to win playoff games.

It's the only way he'll get better in any real sense of the term. It's the only way his team will take a legitimate step forward from "pretender" to "contender."

If Ryan can defeat the Seahawks on Sunday and make a serious Super Bowl run, it'll count for a lot. But he has to make it happen. We need to see it to believe it's really there at all.

Until Atlanta proves themselves, New England holds the edge.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Bills at Patriots

The Bills acquired defensive end Mario Williams during the 2012 offseason. The intention was threefold: to bring immediate clout to Buffalo with a prized superstar, to boost the team's presence in the league and to compete for the AFC East by slowing down Tom Brady.

According to Spotrac, Williams received a six-year contract worth $96 million ($50 million guaranteed). For that amount of dough, you'd expect a sack on Brady.

But in both games against the Patriots this year, he failed to get one. In fact, Williams didn't get much of anything, as Patriots tackle Sebastian Vollmer dominated him in both contests.

Here's a few more nuggets to ponder:

In 2011, without Williams, the Bills lost ten games. In 2012, with Williams, they lost ten games again.

In 2011, without Williams, the Bills beat the Patriots once, splitting their season series and holding the Patriots to a total of 80 points in their two contests. In 2012, with Williams, the Bills lost to the Patriots both times and allowed the Patriots to increase their total to 89 points.

I'll just let that information sink in.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Broncos at Patriots

Peyton Manning's season has been nothing short of spectacular.

He's changed the culture of the Broncos. In just a few months, he's transformed a playoff contender into a Super Bowl contender. For that, he deserves a ridiculous amount of praise.

But he hasn't beaten Tom Brady yet. At least, not in a Broncos uniform.

Although there's only one game to cite, it was still a meaningful game with meaningful implications. New England's 31-21 victory over Denver in Week 5 was profound. It was a thorough chess match, cleanly fought with a clear victor.

In another meeting, there's no reason to believe the Patriots couldn't do it again.

In this legendary quarterback rivalry, three-time champion Tom Brady maintains the edge.

Prediction: Patriots Win 

Patriots at Dolphins

Miami needs a lot of "stuff" before they can compete in the AFC East.

They need a slot receiver, a deep threat, several pieces along the offensive line, a shutdown defensive back and possibly a quarterback.

Until they check those items off their list, the Patriots will keep rolling over them.

Miami's Cameron Wake is certainly an impressive force of nature, but a lone defensive end isn't going to reverse this pattern of divisional domination.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Buccaneers at Patriots

Football is a team sport, but the NFL is a quarterback league.

It's an intriguing duality which brings the big picture into focus: Assembling a strong team is vital, but there better be an elite quarterback orchestrating the offense.

That brings us to the Buccaneers' biggest question: What should be done with Josh Freeman?

Freeman's numbers are certainly loud enough to command attention; 4,065 yards and 27 touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at. Still, there's an invisible feeling that something's missing.

Freeman has no playoff wins in four seasons. Like Matt Ryan, he's sliding into "Tony Romo territory."

What will the Buccaneers do with Freeman? It remains to be seen.

But unless this team radically alters themselves in the 2013 NFL Draft, it's unlikely that they'll find any success against the Patriots.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Dolphins at Patriots

The Patriots haven't lost to the Dolphins since 2009.

In that game, Tom Brady was struggling through injuries to his shoulder and fingers. He uncharacteristically threw a pair of interceptions. The Patriots didn't score in the fourth quarter.

Miami's quarterback at the time, Chad Henne, threw 335 yards (his career-high) on 52 passes (also his career-high). Henne then marched his team 51 yards for a game-winning drive.

Stars don't align like that very often.

Also, it should be noted that the Dolphins only won that game by a single point.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots at Panthers

Cam Newton's rocky sophomore season was a reminder that greatness is a process.

Guys like Tom Brady, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Aaron Rodgers, Lawrence Taylor, Marcus Allen and Reggie White sculpted their unique legends over time, rising to the challenge when the pressure was at its boiling point.

Newton hasn't had the time or experience to feel that boiling point. One day, he will. Maybe he'll become a legend. Maybe he won't.

But right now, this much is true: He's good enough to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. That means the Panthers have an advantage over most of the teams in the league.

Will Newton bring it all together next season?

That's entirely unknown.

But here's a virtual certainty: The Patriots will be awesome in 2013.

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots at Texans

I expect the Patriots to defeat the Texans on Sunday.

But I'm inclined to believe that the Texans will beat the Patriots in the 2013 regular season.

After all, that's how revenge works.

The Patriots recently went through a similar situation with the Ravens. They beat the Ravens in the 2011 AFC title game, then lost to them during the 2012 regular season.

Football justice is a real thing. Could've used some of that justice during Super Bowl XLVI, but I digress...

Prediction: Texans Win

Patriots at Bills

Ryan Fitzpatrick joined the Bills in 2009. They missed the playoffs.

In 2010, the Bills missed the playoffs again.

In 2011, the Bills signed Fitzpatrick to a lucrative new contract. The Bills missed the playoffs again.

In 2012, the Bills signed Mario Williams to a very rich deal. The Bills missed the playoffs again.

Curiously, it appears that spending massive amounts of money without proper judgement is a lot like spending nothing at all.     

Prediction: Patriots Win

Patriots Final 2013 Record: 15-1