Can Super Bowl champion Patriots go undefeated in 2017?

After completing the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, the New England Patriots are used to high expectations to begin a season.

The Patriots rallied from a 25-point second-half deficit to beat Atlanta 34-28 in overtime. It was the first Super Bowl to go into overtime and the fifth trophy for the Patriots.

New England needs one more Super Bowl win to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in NFL history.

The Patriots have had 16 consecutive winning seasons.

Can they go undefeated and join the 1972 Miami Dolphins?

The Patriots, who open the season at home Thursday night against Kansas City, are one of the many storylines in the league.

Patriots perfection

The New England Patriots almost pulled off a perfect season a decade ago, going 16-0 in the regular season before losing 17-14 to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The Pats could be in position to do it again this season. Tom Brady, who just turned 40, appears to be as good as ever and has plenty of offensive weapons in Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, James White, Dion Lewis and newest addition Brandin Cooks. Plus, Bill Belichick is arguably the best coach of this generation. New England has a real chance to join the 1972 Dolphins as the only teams to go undefeated through an entire season.

Los Angeles battle

The Rams will have company in Hollywood this season with the Chargers moving to town. And this season could go a long way in determining which team builds the biggest fan base. Both have new head coaches and both are trying to win over long-ignored fans. The Rams are looking to get jump started under 31-year-old coach Sean McVay, and have promising young players such as quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley. The Chargers, meanwhile, hope to make a run with veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and new coach Anthony Lynn, a former Cowboys assistant.

Kaepernick watch

A storyline throughout the off-season has been whether Colin Kaepernick would find another NFL job. Plenty of teams across the league could use a quarterback of his caliber to back up their starter, but he has yet to find a match. Kaepernick drew the ire of some around the league when he knelt during the national anthem last season, and that decision appears to have interfered with his desire to extend his career. But this will remain a story every time a quarterback gets injured across the league.

Falcons rebound?

The Atlanta Falcons were on the verge of winning the organization’s first Super Bowl last year. But they didn’t. They collapsed and blew a 28-3 third-quarter lead. Will the Falcons be able to redeem themselves? A loss of that nature is tough to overcome the following year. But it’s been done before. The Buffalo Bills, for instance, were drubbed 52-17 by the Cowboys in the 1992 Super Bowl but bounced back to make their fourth consecutive appearance in 1993, where they again lost to Dallas. Can Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan rally the troops in similar fashion?

RB rebirth

The running back position has been undervalued in recent years but it appears to be making a comeback. Ezekiel Elliott showed the importance of the running game with the Cowboys last season, and it appears that more teams have followed suit. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville) and Christian McCaffrey (Carolina) were top-10 picks in April’s draft, and Oakland made a splash by luring former Seahawks beast Marshawn Lynch out of retirement. The running game appears to be alive and well in the league.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Can Super Bowl champion Patriots go undefeated in 2017?."