It's a time for change for the New England Patriots entering the 2023 NFL season. The one-time dynasty under Bill Belichick just endured its second losing season in the past three years. There are rumors of a strained relationship between the legendary coach and owner Robert Kraft. But, like all NFL teams entering camp, there is some reason for optimism.

Bill O'Brien, the former Texans head coach who spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, is back to run the offense. The unit was ineffective under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in 2022, scoring 98 points fewer than it did the previous season. Now O'Brien will be reunited with Mac Jones, trying to spark the former Crimson Tide quarterback who regressed after a solid rookie season.

In fact, Jones was on a very hot seat after an injury opened an opportunity for rookie Bailey Zappe, who initially took advantage. The draft pick out of Kentucky went 2-0 in place of Jones, then replaced him when Jones' return against the Bears went south. An early touchdown sparked the team against Chicago, but Zappe later threw two interceptions and didn't play again the rest of the season.

The Patriots will be counting on running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who emerged as an offensive star last season. The second-year back out of Oklahoma rushed for 1,040 yards, averaging 5.0 per carry, and led the team with 69 receptions. Jones also will have some new targets to work with, with wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki both signing this offseason. Gesicki was miscast with the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel and regressed after a breakout 73-catch season. Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards with Kansas City last season.

With Belichick running the show, the Patriots are going to mostly compete with strong defense again. The unit was solid last season but not up to expectations, so upgrading the unit was a focus of the draft. New England had 12 picks, and five were used on defense, the most important being No. 17 overall pick Christian Gonzalez. The cornerback out of Oregon adds a needed physical presence to the secondary, and two more defensive backs were drafted late.

Matt Judon will continue as the leader, and the linebacker had 15.5 sacks last season. Josh Uche quietly had 11.5 sacks opposite Judon, and Ja'Whaun Bentley led the team with 125 tackles. The Pats were sixth against the run, tied for second in the league with 30 takeaways and tied for third with 54 sacks.

This is not the team that won the AFC East 17 times over a span of 19 seasons, including 11 in a row, with Tom Brady at the helm. The Patriots are 25-25 since Brady left for Tampa Bay. They haven't finished last in the division since 2000, Belichick's first season, but that could change this season. Caesars Sportsbook lists them as the +800 fourth choice to win the AFC East, well behind the Bills (+125), Jets (+250) and Dolphins (+300).

New England did manage to stay in playoff contention late the past three seasons, losing in Week 18 to finish 8-9 last season. If the Pats can do that again in 2023, they'll have earned it. They might have the toughest schedule in the NFL, with the sudden strength of the AFC East playing a part. But they open with NFC champion Philadelphia and face Super Bowl winner Kansas City as part of a three-game stretch of prime-time games after their bye. Throw in a trip to London, and New England faces a daunting task.

• 2023 NFL Futures betting guide: Win totals, prop picks and more
  

Below, you'll find the 2023 New England Patriots schedule, win total and more futures odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by picks from top SportsLine NFL analysts, including:

• Larry Hartstein, who tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS (61 percent). Entering the 2023 season, Larry is 521-427 all-time on NFL sides and props (plus $3,679 for $100 players, every bet 1 unit) at SportsLine.
• Alex Selesnick, who specializes in NFL, MLB and NBA prop betting, where he implements a combination of research, statistical analysis and mathematical modeling. He is arguably the nation's No. 1 props expert, and he is 309-231 (plus 61.09 units with every bet 1 unit) in the NFL entering the 2023 season.
  
• R.J. White, who consistently crushes the NFL and shares his SuperContest and Survivor picks at SportsLine during the season. R.J. went 535-450-30 on ATS picks from 2017-22, returning $3,532 to $100 players as SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert in against the spread picks.

New England Patriots 2023 schedule

Week 1: vs. Philadelphia
Week 2: vs. Miami (SNF)
Week 3: at N.Y. Jets
Week 4: at Dallas
Week 5: vs. New Orleans
Week 6: at Las Vegas
Week 7: vs. Buffalo
Week 8: at Miami
Week 9: vs. Washington
Week 10: vs. Indianapolis (London)
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: at N.Y. Giants
Week 13: vs. L.A. Chargers
Week 14: at Pittsburgh (TNF)
Week 15: vs. Kansas City (MNF)
Week 16: at Denver (SNF)
Week 17: at Buffalo
Week 18: vs. N.Y. Jets

New England Patriots 2023 futures odds

Win Total Over: 7.5 (+100)
Win Total Under: 7.5 (-120)

Make Playoffs: +250
Miss Playoffs: -320

Win Division: +800
Win Conference: +3500
Win Super Bowl: +6000

Will the Patriots go over or under their win total for the 2023 season? And what other futures bets are worth making? ... Join SportsLine right now to see SportsLine's New England Patriots 2023 futures picks, all from the acclaimed experts who have crushed the NFL for years!