Patriots QB Drake Maye was under duress throughout Super Bowl LX, as he tries to fend off Seattle's Byron Murphy II. Maye and the Patriots willl see the Seahawks again right away in Wednesday night's season opener. (AP photo)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The bar is set high for the New England Patriots.

That’s what happens when you come out of nowhere to reach the Super Bowl. Now the Patriots, after a disasterous performance on the big stage vs. Seattle, will begin the long, arduous task of getting back to the big dance.

Destination Los Angeles.

That will not be easy, the potential weakness of the AFC aside. Why? Well, if you notice, the Patriots are doing the right thing in getting younger. That’s not for immediate success, but long term. The majority of the players drafted the last two years are on the roster, as the majority of players from the drafts before then are out the door. In fact there were 23 new players on the 53-man roster following cutdown day, not exactly usual for a Super Bowl team.

But because of the inexperience, head coach Mike Vrabel issued his warning a couple of weeks ago about the lack of depth on the team. It’s why they scanned the waiver wire to grab some veteran bodies.

“Understand that the journey is going to be a lot more difficult based on the way we finished,” Vrabel said, saying preparation week to week will be the key and later adding “We’re focused on competing against Seattle, not something that’s going to happen in February …I love the guys that we have.”

What do they have? Right now it’s a team that may be better offensively than on defense, because of what looks to be an average or below average pass rush from the edge, and depth needed in the secondary. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez’s contract saga as of this writing was still ongoing. On the other side of the ball, the acquisition of receiver A.J. Brown seems to have elevated the offense despite the team parting ways with Stefon Diggs, now with Washington, in the off-season.

Here’s a look:

OFFENSE

Quarterback Drake Maye had a good camp by all observations, and the joint practices served as his preseason game action, along with several starters. He looks stronger, his shoulder that hampered him in the postseason seems healed, and the only real worry is if he uses his legs a lot will he be able to avoid injury.

Will he get the protection he needs? Will Campbell answered Vrabel’s challenge to get stronger, looked good in camp,and let’s face it, he probably shouldn’t have been playing on that MCL-injured knee in the Super Bowl. They’ve moved Jared Wilson to his natural center position, and veteran Alijah Vera-Tucker was a great addition to take a guard spot. On the right side Mike Owenu and Morgan Moses should be able to handle things, Moses getting his minutes managed. There’s no question that drafting OL Caleb Lomu this past April is a move for the future – three young linemen to start, and he’ll be a swing tackle. The injury to Marcus Bryant had the team grab Walter Rouse from the Vikings; one question is if – as of this writing – the team re-signs released center Ben Brown after his preseason injury heals.

As for skill positions, running back TreVeyon Henderson will need to make a jump in year two once healthy, especially in pass protection to be on the field on third downs. Veteran Rhamondre Stevenson continues to fight the odds and looks primed for a superb season. Third back Corey Kiner may be bettter than Henderson in pass protection so keep an eye on him.

The Patriots are thin at tight end; Hunter Henry with a new deal is certainly the main cog but the other tight end is a rookie, Eli Reardon, a better blocker perhaps than Henry.

Ahhh, the receiver corps. No more Kayshon Boutte, a Maye favorite. Brown is the constant, plus veteran Romeo Doubs. Mack Hollins always seems to make a big third down catch as a possession receive along with DeMario Douglas. Those are your top four. The question is can Kyle Williams get past the veteran starting corners in the regular season like he did a couple of times in the preseason against backups and eventual releases.

The Patriots want to be more physical on offense; that was obvious in free agency, and the season ending injury in May OTAs to free agent signing Julian Hill hampers that plan a bit.

DEFENSE

Well, speaking of physical, the Patriots best defensive player other than Gonzalez is defensive lineman Milton Williams. He and Christian Barmore have formed a great one-two punch up front, along with Corey Durden.

The problem? It’s on the edge, and with linebackers. Second round rookie Gabe Jacas is raw but has that ferocity that you want to see at the position, but he’s a situational player and special teamer for now. That puts an onus on veteran Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder. Not great Bob.

Linebackers are thin as well; Harold Landry’s knee woes are scuttling Vrabel’s plans. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss are the two most recognizable names, and while Spillane sets a tone – the defense suffered whenever he was out – the Patriots need some new blood there.

As for the secondary, health is a key. Carlton Davis III is a great complement on one side to Gonzalez on the other, and Marcus Jones rarely makes mistakes. It’s the depth one worries about. At safety, veterans Craig Woodson and Kevin Byard III, the latter a Vrabel guy signed this off-season from Tennessee, will be the likely top two.

So you can see the limitations.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Don’t underestimate the non-football injury wih Brenden Schooler impacting special teams as he’s their best. In the return game, we’ll see who does what but expect Marcus Jones to get his share given his success. The kicking game? Shakey. Placekicker Andy Borregales is often a 50-50, and now with Bryce Baringer in IR the team has former Bills punter Mitch Wishnowsky on the practice squad, set to be elevated for the opener in Seattle.

COACHING

No complaints here, right? Vrabel of course had a tumultous off-season with the Dianna Russini mess but once football began that’s been way back in the rear view mirror. Zak Kuhr is now the official defensive coordinator and we all know how good Josh McDaniels is for Maye.

THE SCHEDULE: Tougher than last year, for sure, but that bar was, uh, super low. As has been said, the Patriots could be better than last year but with a worse record. Seattle is a tough opener, but as Vrabel said, playing the league’s opener

“means you had a really good season or the team you’re playing had a really good season,” Vrabel said. “We’ll have to be ready for the environment.”

The NFC Central is no picnic, and the Steelers, Chargers, Jaguars and Broncos were all playoff teams.

PREDICTION: 12-5, AFC East champs, win a Wild Card game, lose in divisional round.