New England Patriots

West Coast — Rhythm passing sets up the run.
Team fit 87.3 A− · Read the full guide →

Single High — +1 in the box. Beat our man coverage.
Team fit 88.4 A · Read the full guide →

No side of the ball to hide: this is one of the most complete rosters in the game. The face of it is Christian Gonzalez (CB, 98), and after him the defense falls off a cliff — the next-best defender is Milton Williams (86).

Drake Maye (QB, 90) is the headliner. 94 throw power — plenty of arm to drive it outside the numbers; 93 throw under pressure — does not flinch when the pocket gets loud. Game-planning against this team starts with him and works backward.

The drop to the second option is gentle — A.J. Brown (87) is a headliner on half the teams in the league.

Christian Gonzalez (CB, 98) sets the terms. 98 man coverage — can travel with a WR1 and live on an island; 96 speed — home-run speed that changes how a defense lines up; 93 acceleration — zero to full speed in a blink — the first three steps are already gone. He is the problem the other sideline has to solve first.

It is a one-man headline, though — the next-best defender is Milton Williams (86), and offenses that survive the star find a much more ordinary unit behind him. The back end (86.2 average) is the strength and the front (78.9) is ordinary — this defense wins by making quarterbacks hold the ball, then covering long enough for average rushers to arrive. Two corners at 85+ (Christian Gonzalez 98, Carlton Davis III 85) is rare — only 4 teams have it — and it is what lets this defense call man coverage without holding its breath.

Andres Borregales (74) kicks — 94 leg, 82 accuracy. Mitch Wishnowsky (76) punts — 94 leg, 86 accuracy. The return game has a genuine weapon: Marcus Jones (94 return, 92 speed).

Offense: TreVeyon Henderson (HB, 80 OVR). Read the ratings page twice: the overall says 80, the speed says 95. Overall is about the whole job; that speed is about one job, and he can already do that one as well as most starters.

Defense: Brenden Schooler (SS, 66 OVR) — a 92 speed buried at 66 overall. Speed is the one trait that plays at any overall — it travels to any package, any formation, any Sunday.