The New England Patriots are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, and the dominant force of football in the 21st century. They have won five Super Bowls since Tom Brady took over the reins in 2001, and have won the AFC a further three times.
They have crushed their divisional opponents for years, claiming every AFC East title since 2008, but with the Pittsburgh Steelers and an ascendant Jacksonville Jaguars it will be hard work to keep the Patriots atop the mountain. Here is everything you need to know about bringing a sixth title to Foxborough.
*All stats correct at time of writing
Team Rating
The Patriots have a healthy 85 OVR rating, making them the second-best team behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Their offense is an excellent 89 thanks to their great quarterback and tight end, but that isn't their only strength. The defense scores a very good 87. With such good balance they are an immediate Super Bowl contender and a strong team to play online.
Tom Brady, Quarterback (OVR 99)
Age: 41
Development Trait: Superstar
Contract: 2 years/$21.9m
2018 Cap Hit: $10.3m
Best Stats: Throw Power (96), Short Accuracy (99), Medium Accuracy (97), Deep Accuracy (86), Play Action (99), Throw Under Pressure (96)
Tom Brady is the quintessential pocket passer. A surgeon with the ball, he's been a deadly passer for years now. A five-time Super Bowl winner and three-time league MVP, Brady is arguably the greatest to ever play the sport and at 41 he is still going strong. Brady may retire early in your Franchise Mode run, but while you have him you can carve up any defense.
Rob Gronkowski, Tight End (OVR 99)
Age: 29
Development Trait: Superstar
Contract: 2 years/$23.52m
2018 Cap Hit: $8.62m
Best Stats: Speed (83), Acceleration (88), Catching (96), Catching In Traffic (97), Run Block (83)
Rob Gronkowski has been a mismatch ever since he came into the NFL. Too big for safeties to handle, to fast for linebackers, too strong for everyone, he has crushed defenses since day one. A second-round pick in 2010, Gronkowski has scored 77 regular season touchdowns despite a lot of injuries and time missed.
Devin McCourty, Free Safety (OVR 92)
Age: 31
Development Trait: Quick
Contract: 2 years/$20.55m
2018 Cap Hit: $8.65m
Best Stats: Speed (90), Acceleration (90), Play Recognition (92), Awareness (92), Zone Coverage (87)
A first-round pick in 2010, Devin McCourty started his career with the Patriots as a cornerback, and while he picked off seven passes as a rookie he didn't quite settle into the position. Not to give up on the player, the Patriots moved him to free safety, where McCourty has excelled. His ability to read the game and his athleticism to cover ground has made him a menace to opposing offenses on every snap.
Stephon Gilmore, Cornerback (OVR 87)
Age: 27
Development Trait: Quick
Contract: 4 years/$44.7m
2018 Cap Hit: $10.5m
Best Stats: Speed (91), Acceleration (94), Man Coverage (88), Zone Coverage (87), Press (87)
Stephon Gilmore was a first-round pick for the Buffalo Bills in 2012 and really excelled early on, however the Bills were unwilling to pay him so he hit free agency in 2017, where New England signed him. In his first year with the Patriots Gilmore had an immediate impact, picking off two passes and playing extremely well as the Patriots made another run to the Super Bowl. Gilmore had a vital pass break up to seal their AFC Championship Game win.
Depth Chart & Full Roster
QB | OVR | Speed | Throw Power | Short Accuracy | Medium Accuracy | Deep Accuracy | Throw Under Pressure | Play Action |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Brady | 99 | 61 | 96 | 99 | 97 | 86 | 96 | 99 |
Brian Hoyer | 69 | 68 | 87 | 83 | 77 | 73 | 77 | 83 |
Danny Etling | 62 | 80 | 92 | 78 | 72 | 73 | 66 | 74 |
HB | OVR | Speed | Agility | Elusiveness | Carrying | Juke Move | Catching |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James White | 83 | 89 | 90 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 76 |
Rex Burkhead | 78 | 84 | 88 | 77 | 88 | 84 | 73 |
Mike Gillislee | 77 | 88 | 89 | 71 | 88 | 82 | 63 |
Sony Michel | 77 | 90 | 93 | 81 | 85 | 88 | 68 |
Jeremy Hill | 76 | 88 | 84 | 75 | 85 | 83 | 66 |
Brandon Bolden | 68 | 87 | 86 | 59 | 85 | 75 | 60 |
FB | OVR | Speed | Strength | Carrying | Pass Block | Run Block | Lead Block | Impact Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James Devlin | 76 | 70 | 87 | 76 | 68 | 71 | 96 | 73 |
WR | OVR | Speed | Agility | Catching | Short Route | Medium Route | Deep Route | Catching In Traffic | Spectacular Catch | Release | Jumping |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Julian Edelman | 88 | 85 | 91 | 90 | 95 | 92 | 81 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 84 |
Chris Hogan | 83 | 88 | 89 | 92 | 85 | 87 | 85 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 89 |
Jordan Matthews | 77 | 90 | 87 | 83 | 81 | 79 | 77 | 82 | 85 | 75 | 88 |
Cordarrelle Patterson | 76 | 91 | 97 | 84 | 76 | 74 | 77 | 77 | 85 | 72 | 93 |
Malcolm Mitchell | 75 | 90 | 87 | 87 | 76 | 78 | 75 | 80 | 83 | 73 | 91 |
Phillip Dorsett | 75 | 95 | 96 | 84 | 75 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 84 | 62 | 89 |
Kenny Britt | 73 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 76 | 74 | 72 | 82 | 84 | 78 | 91 |
Braxton Berrios | 70 | 91 | 91 | 78 | 81 | 77 | 71 | 77 | 73 | 67 | 86 |
Matthew Slater | 68 | 86 | 86 | 75 | 73 | 70 | 65 | 76 | 74 | 68 | 84 |
TE | OVR | Speed | Agility | Catching | Short Route | Medium Route | Deep Route | Run Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rob Gronkowski | 99 | 83 | 85 | 96 | 88 | 86 | 78 | 83 |
Dwayne Allen | 82 | 75 | 73 | 84 | 69 | 64 | 59 | 82 |
Will Tye | 77 | 87 | 83 | 86 | 76 | 72 | 67 | 53 |
Jacob Hollister | 72 | 84 | 80 | 78 | 58 | 53 | 48 | 69 |
Troy Niklas | 72 | 77 | 79 | 78 | 68 | 62 | 58 | 53 |
Ryan Izzo | 68 | 74 | 77 | 74 | 61 | 57 | 51 | 70 |
Joe Cardona | 39 | 75 | 72 | 57 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 45 |
OL | OVR | Speed | Strength | Pass Block | Run Block | Lead Block | Impact Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Andrews | 83 | 68 | 86 | 82 | 86 | 82 | 84 |
Shaq Mason | 83 | 73 | 87 | 77 | 87 | 86 | 88 |
Marcus Cannon | 82 | 61 | 92 | 77 | 88 | 78 | 83 |
Trent Brown | 82 | 63 | 91 | 85 | 73 | 74 | 79 |
Joe Thuney | 79 | 74 | 86 | 82 | 79 | 82 | 81 |
Isaiah Wynn | 77 | 70 | 87 | 83 | 80 | 83 | 82 |
Ted Karras | 70 | 61 | 86 | 71 | 76 | 84 | 80 |
LaAdrian Waddle | 70 | 57 | 87 | 72 | 75 | 79 | 81 |
Jason King | 69 | 62 | 94 | 71 | 74 | 83 | 82 |
Matt Tobin | 67 | 74 | 79 | 71 | 75 | 80 | 80 |
DE | OVR | Speed | Agility | Strength | Block Shedding | Finesse Moves | Power Moves |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trey Flowers | 86 | 77 | 69 | 87 | 84 | 66 | 88 |
Adrian Clayborn | 84 | 77 | 74 | 84 | 68 | 71 | 88 |
Deatrich Wise Jr | 74 | 75 | 71 | 72 | 68 | 64 | 76 |
Geneo Grissom | 68 | 79 | 75 | 53 | 73 | 64 | 75 |
DT | OVR | Speed | Strength | Power Moves | Finesse Moves | Block Shedding | Impact Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Danny Shelton | 85 | 51 | 95 | 75 | 51 | 86 | 89 |
Malcom Brown | 82 | 71 | 85 | 78 | 62 | 88 | 87 |
Lawrence guy | 78 | 71 | 84 | 75 | 66 | 80 | 81 |
Adam Butler | 73 | 65 | 86 | 77 | 68 | 68 | 84 |
Vincent Valentine | 70 | 66 | 79 | 82 | 68 | 80 | 83 |
OLB | OVR | Speed | Agility | Tackle | Hit Power | Play Recognition | Pursuit | Man Coverage | Zone Coverage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dont'a Hightower | 84 | 83 | 76 | 94 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 52 | 64 |
Kyle Van Noy | 76 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 69 | 79 | 79 | 63 | 72 |
Marquis Flowers | 74 | 86 | 83 | 71 | 69 | 73 | 78 | 69 | 79 |
Dere Rivers | 72 | 85 | 78 | 76 | 83 | 59 | 77 | 60 | 66 |
Harvey Langi | 68 | 84 | 79 | 79 | 84 | 47 | 78 | 66 | 68 |
Eric Lee | 68 | 81 | 71 | 76 | 75 | 63 | 78 | 60 | 67 |
MLB | OVR | Speed | Agility | Tackle | Hit Power | Play Recognition | Pursuit | Man Coverage | Zone Coverage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elandon Roberts | 73 | 85 | 73 | 86 | 89 | 78 | 80 | 51 | 61 |
Ja'Whaun Bentley | 69 | 81 | 78 | 82 | 83 | 58 | 81 | 52 | 58 |
Christian Sam | 65 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 79 | 52 | 81 | 58 | 62 |
Nicholas Grigsby | 64 | 87 | 81 | 78 | 75 | 56 | 78 | 50 | 63 |
CB | OVR | Speed | Acceleration | Agility | Man Coverage | Zone Coverage | Press |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stephon Gilmore | 87 | 91 | 94 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 87 |
Jason McCourty | 87 | 92 | 94 | 88 | 87 | 85 | 83 |
Jonathan Jones | 76 | 95 | 95 | 85 | 76 | 77 | 72 |
Eric Rowe | 74 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 75 | 69 | 81 |
Duke Dawson Jr | 72 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 79 | 74 | 78 |
Cyrus Jones | 71 | 90 | 91 | 91 | 78 | 73 | 74 |
Keion Crossen | 69 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 75 | 71 | 72 |
FS | OVR | Speed | Acceleration | Agility | Play Recognition | Man Coverage | Zone Coverage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devin McCourty | 92 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 85 | 87 |
Duron Harmon | 79 | 88 | 89 | 84 | 82 | 79 | 84 |
Brandon King | 65 | 89 | 91 | 81 | 61 | 64 | 68 |
SS | OVR | Speed | Acceleration | Tackle | Play Recognition | Man Coverage | Zone Coverage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Chung | 83 | 85 | 91 | 72 | 85 | 79 | 87 |
Nate Ebner | 69 | 86 | 89 | 74 | 85 | 55 | 60 |
Jordan Richards | 67 | 86 | 90 | 72 | 64 | 55 | 66 |
K | OVR | Kick Power | Kick Accuracy |
---|---|---|---|
Stephen Gostkowski | 83 | 96 | 88 |
P | OVR | Kick Power | Kick Accuracy |
---|---|---|---|
Ryan Allen | 80 | 91 | 85 |
Corey Bojorquez | 73 | 94 | 78 |
The Patriots roster revolves completely around Tom Brady. Having a 99 OVR quarterback that can slice and dice a defense is always a huge advantage for any team. Brady's supporting cast doesn't look great, but it works to his strengths. Julian Edelman (95 short route running, 90 catching) and James White (89 speed, 76 catching) are very nice pieces for an underneath passing game, while Rob Gronkowski (96 catching, 94 release) is simply a dominant force in the middle of the field. The offensive line is solid if unspectacular, but Isaiah Wynn (83 pass block, 80 run block) is a future star for Franchise Mode.
Defensively the Patriots are well-rounded, but feature more size than speed. Up front their best players are Dont'a Hightower (94 tackle, 88 play recognition) and Trey Flowers (88 power moves, 84 block shedding), but there are a lot of acceptable but unspectacular players in the front seven. The secondary is very good, with Devin McCourty (92 play recognition, 87 zone coverage) and Patrick Chung (85 play recognition, 87 zone coverage) roaming at the safety spots and Stephon Gilmore (88 man coverage, 87 zone coverage) at corner. In Franchise Mode you'll want to add speed, but they are a unit that is ready to go in online and exhibition play.
Playbook - Offense
I Form - Pro
I Form - Slot
I Form - Tight
I Form - Y Off
Strong I - Pro
Weak I - Close
Singleback - Ace
Singleback - Ace Close
Singleback - Ace Pair
Singleback - Ace Slot
Singleback - Bunch Ace
Singleback - Dice Slot
Singleback - Tight Slots
Singleback - Wing Pair
Singleback - Wing Slot
Singleback - Wing Tight
Singleback - Y Trips
Shotgun - Ace Slot Offset
Shotgun - Bunch
Shotgun - Doubles
Shotgun - Doubles Flex Wk Pats
Shotgun - Doubles Y-Flex
Shotgun - Empty Ace Patriot
Shotgun - Empty Base Flex
Shotgun - Normal Wing Pats
Shotgun - Snug Flip
Shotgun - Split Close Pats
Shotgun - Spread Y-Slot
Shotgun - Trips TE
Shotgun - Trips TE Flex
Shotgun - Trips Y Iso
Shotgun - Trips Y-Flex
Shotgun - U Trips Wk
Shotgun - Wing Flex Offset Wk
The Patriots playbook is shotgun heavy, making it one of the best passing playbooks in the game. There are tonnes of special and unique plays in here and formations like Doubles Flex Wk Pats and Trips Y Iso that make use of their personnel. There are solid under center options that also play on Brady’s terrific play action ability to set defenses up and then strike over the top.
Playbook - Defense
3-4 Odd
3-4 Solid
3-4 Under
4-3 Over
4-3 Under
Nickel Normal
Nickel 2-4-5
Nickel 2-4-5 Double A Gap
Nickel 3-3-5 Odd
Nickel 3-3-5 Wide
Big Nickel Over G
Dime 2-3-6 Sam
Dime 1-4-6
Quarter Normal
Quarter 1-3-7
Quarter 3 Deep
Goal Line Defense 5-3-3
Goal Line Defense 5-4-2
The Patriots defensive playbook is complex and deep. You need to be on top of your depth charts and in-game substitutions to make sure you can flow between a 3-4 and 4-3 front easily as well as all the different nickel formations. Unsurprisingly for a Bill Belichick playbook this will take some time to learn and requires a veteran player to truly maximize all the different looks you can have here. As with every playbook, the Big Nickel Over G will be a very good package this year for most situations, but the ability to mix up looks with the Patriots really does help cover for some of their personnel shortcomings.