The 2023 season does not have the kind of outlook for the New England Patriots that the team's voracious fans have come to expect.

While fans have gotten used to seeing their team playing without Tom Brady — 2019 was his last season in New England — the Patriots have gone into the three seasons without the GOAT having at least a decent hope of making the playoffs.

They have only done that in one of those seasons, and they lost the Wild Card game when they got there following the 2021 season.

As they prepare for the 2023 season, there is a very good chance that the Patriots could be fighting to stay out of the AFC East cellar. They clearly don't have the same kind of talent as the Buffalo Bills, and they appear to be outstripped by the Miami Dolphins. The Jets were an improved team last year and they have added future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

However, Bill Belichick and his coaching staff are not about to concede anything to their division rivals and simply accept the fact that they will join the 1999 Patriots as a cellar dweller.

The Patriots appear to have a solid defense, but there are many questions about the offense. One of those questions is at the quarterback position.

There should be a battle for the starting quarterback position between incumbent Mac Jones and backup Bailey Zappe. There will also be a special teams battle between rookie Chad Ryland and veteran Nick Folk at the PK position.

Mac Jones vs. Bailey Zappe

Jones certainly has the edge going into training camp for a number of reasons, as he has been the team's starting quarterback since his rookie season of 2021.

He was New England's first round draft pick that year out of Alabama, and he came away with the starting job that season.

Jones demonstrated fine athletic ability and excellent preparation for the position and that endeared him to Belichick. He put together a very promising rookie season, completing 352 of 521 passes for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also ran 44 times for 129 yards and demonstrated that he was able to scramble away from pressure.

Throughout the season, it appeared that Jones had an excellent understanding of his role in the New England offense, and he also gained a greater knowledge of what opposing defenses wanted to do against him. He did not appear overwhelmed by playing against high-level NFL defenses.

However, what he did not have on his side was a crew of top-level receivers. The feeling was that if the Patriots could upgrade their group of wide receivers, Jones would have a chance to become a much better quarterback.

There was not a lot of progress in Year 2 when Jones completed 288 off 442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games.

The Zappe factor

While Jones was battling injury problems in 2022, Zappe had a chance to play and show off his skills. He has an excellent arm, and he gained quite a bit of support from Patriots fans.

That's not a surprise, because the backup quarterback is almost always a popular performer for a team that is struggling to stay afloat.

Zappe, a fourth-round draft pick in 2022, made an impressive showing last year. He completed 65 of 92 passes for 781 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Zappe appeared to throw a very impressive deep ball, another characteristic that endeared him to Patriots supporters.

Jones has a strong chance of retaining the starting job, Zappe could make a strong case  for himself if he is the more impressive passer in training camp.

There is a feeling among fans that Jones is fairly limited, and that could play against him in the minds of the fans.

However, if there's one coach in the NFL that can ignore the will of the public, it's Belichick. He will only make a change if he believes that Zappe will lead the Patriots to more wins than Jones.

Chad Ryland vs. Nick Folk

This is going to be a tough one for the veteran Folk. Ryland was drafted in the fourth round by the Patriots, and when a team uses that high a pick on a kicker, it almost certainly means that he is going to win the job.

Folk has done a solid job for the Patriots in the last 4 years, but he is trending downward. The 38-year-old saw his FG percentage dip to 86.5 percent last year after previous years over 90 percent. The Pats were in contention for a playoff spot last year, and that's when Folk missed several of his kicks.

Look for Ryland to gain the job unless he feels the pressure and fails in the summer.