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Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Every NFL team has a weakness somewhere. Though, at this time in the offseason when optimism reigns supreme, these weaknesses can be difficult to identify. Of course, this is because many weaknesses won't actually reveal themselves until the regular season or even the postseason.

The New England Patriots are probably viewed as the team with the fewest weaknesses heading into the 2017 season. They are the defending Super Bowl champion and actually took steps to try improving the roster this offseason.

However, certain scenarios could unfold that weaken even the mighty Patriots this year. Any one of them could be enough to cause New England to fall short in its quest for another ring. We're going to examine these factors here. Consider this a "what if" of things that could potentially go wrong.

Only one team can lift the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. If that team isn't New England, one of these potential scenarios could be the reason why.