21. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-7)
LAST SEASON: The Patriots spent heavily in free agency last offseason and got great production in return from new additions Matt Judon, Davon Godchaux and Hunter Henry. Still, they got off to a 2-4 start, which included a loss to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay in his return to face his former team. It turned out to be an inflection point. A subsequent seven-game win streak briefly catapulted New England into first place in the AFC East, a position it hadn’t held since Brady’s departure. That was erased by three losses in the final four games, setting up a wild-card playoff matchup with Buffalo.