Well, that was fast.
For most of the past two months, it appeared the New England Patriots were poised to reclaim a top-tier rung on the NFL ladder, similar to where they had been perched for the past 20 seasons. Patriots’ fans rejoiced over a newly-anointed savior under center and a return to relevancy, if not championship contention.
The reaction outside of New England? Please, not the Patriots again.
You can hold that thought. In fact, hold both of them.
If anything, what the past two weeks have shown is this New England team is better than what it was a year ago, when the Patriots stumbled to an un-Patriot-like 7-9 record. There are promising signs of improvement everywhere; there is a talent upgrade at several positions and players in key positions under contractual control.
In other words, there are certainly signs of life from the previous iteration of Patriots football that should keep fans optimistic…and signs of returning, dominant play that should concern fans of those teams facing New England in the future.
But what the past two weeks have also shown – with an exclamation point of a performance against Buffalo thrown in – is that overall, these Patriots aren’t quite ready for Prime Time.
New England had its’ chances to cast aside whatever doubts existed about THIS team but failed to do so against contending teams in both the Colts and Bills. For whatever reasons – and there are several – they failed to match the energy, enthusiasm, and effort of their opponents.
They also failed to match the talent. There’s still work to do in that department.
But THIS season is not over, not by a long shot. A goal that was previously thought unattainable (reaching the postseason) at the beginning is still within reach. Can the defense can get off the field on 3rd and 4th downs? And if the offense can keep recurring, drive-killing mistakes from appearing?
You might still have something for this season.
So let’s be reasonable. Indianapolis and Buffalo are good. But New England is improved. As observers, however, we’re used to seeing things a bit differently. And for the past couple of months, what we’ve experienced is akin to a weary, thirsty man in the desert finally stumbling upon an oasis.
Only to find a trickle of water where once there was a river. It just dried up too fast.
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Numbers don’t lie
No, numbers don’t lie. In fact, they usually tell the story with accuracy. And two numbers from Sunday’s 33-21 Buffalo beatdown in Foxboro stand out today:
- For the first time since 2000, the Patriots will have a losing record at Gillette Stadium.
- Before Sunday, the Patriots defense had forced a turnover in 10 straight games (with 22 total). They forced ZERO against the Bills.
The second one certainly stands as a root cause of the first one. But the first one is the bottom line. And while New England has been next-to-extraordinary on the road this season, guarding the yard at home has been a struggle.
Some of that is parity in the NFL. The 2020 season was the first time in NFL history that road teams won more games than home teams. In 2021 through Week 16, home teams are 118-117-1.
The Patriots are one of four teams currently in the postseason mix (in both the AFC and NFC) with a losing record at home.
Be careful what you wish for
Patriot fans had to be happy (or relieved) when they learned Buffalo’s Cole Beasley wouldn’t be available to play Sunday. What they didn’t realize was his replacement, Isaiah McKenzie, would literally torture the Patriots’ secondary (and Myles Bryant) in return.
It was a career day for McKenzie, with 11 receptions (on 12 targets) for 125 yards and a touchdown. He had only six receptions for the entire season before his glorious day in the, um, sun. Such as it was.
“To be honest, when I’m making those catches, I really have no idea what down it is, what the situation is,” McKenzie said afterward. “I’m in the zone, in the moment. All I knew is I had to take advantage of my chance.”
That, he did.
Still, there was a chance
You know, the Patriots did battle hard in this one. For all of the obvious talent and advantages Buffalo brought to the field, the game was 26-21 in favor of the Bills with 7:37 left in the 4th quarter, and ol’ mo (momentum) was wafting to New England’s side of the field.
But when Josh Allen threw to Stefan Diggs from his 25-yard line and hit the Patriots’ J.C. Jackson instead, Jackson dropped what looked to be a sure interception. Entry into Jackson’s “Isle of Denial” was, well, denied.
If that pick had been made, New England was in position to throw a knockout punch with plenty of time on the clock remaining. But it didn’t happen. And Buffalo took the reprieve right down the field to score the clincher against a defense that could not get off of it.