Good News for the Patriots, the NFL Isn’t Off to a Great Start

The New England Patriots are coming off a 24-3 loss to the New York Jets in Week 3. The most disappointing thing about the game was how non-competitive it was from nearly the start. New England had been very competitive for two weeks, beating the Bengals before falling in overtime to the Seahawks. It is easy to believe getting blown out by the Jets is indicative of more struggles ahead, but there is a silver lining for the Patriots’ hopes to remain competitive in 2024. There are a lot of bad football teams in the NFL.

Entering Monday Night Football, there are 19 teams with either one or zero wins. Of course, some of these teams will rebound and contend for playoff spots, or more. The Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers are three possible examples of this. However, many of these teams are exactly what their record says they are, not good.

Cincinnati, Jacksonville, and Tennessee have yet to win. Others have won once but are far from being considered good football teams. Carolina, Denver, Arizona, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, and the New York Giants all fit into this category. The Miami Dolphins have looked like a completely different team, in the worst possible way, since Tua Tagovailoa went down. They currently sit at 1-2 as well.

Also Read – Kelley: Recapping 2024 So Far, but the Patriots Kept Belichick

Have Hope

The Patriots have 14 games remaining. On paper, the toughest matchups are against the 49ers (1-2) in Week 4, the Texans (just lost by 27), and two games against the Bills in Weeks 16 and 18. The team and their fans feeling discouraged by the embarrassment in New York is understandable. But there should be hope for brighter days ahead. And the games aren’t played on paper. So far this season, the Cardinals beat the Rams by 31, the Vikings beat the Texans by 27, and the Saints blew out the Cowboys by 25 in Dallas.  There have been many upsets in closer games, including the Patriots win over the Bengals. Nobody knows what is going to happen in advance.

Only five teams remain without a loss in 2024. This group includes Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. None of those teams were expected to make the playoffs this season. Perhaps none of them will. But it should inspire the New England Patriots to know that winning a few games in a row is within the realm of possibilities.

Injuries Have Hindered New England

Facts are not excuses. It’s a fact that the 2023 Patriots’ Defensive MVP, Christian Barmore, was lost at the beginning of training camp after being diagnosed with blood clots. His return for 2024 remains unknown. That is far from an insignificant loss, as Barmore is both stout against the run and offers pass-rushing from the interior of the defensive line. Head coach Jerod Mayo has talked about winning in the trenches, but their best lineman on either side of the ball has been out of action.

Ja’Whaun Bentley tore his pec in Week 2 and might not return this year. He recorded over 100 tackles each of the past three seasons and is the New England Patriots defensive leader on the field.

The starting left side of the offensive line has been injured as well. Left tackle Vederian Lowe was limited in practice toward the end of training camp with an abdomen injury. He started Week 1 as a reserve. But after the struggles of Chukwuma Okorafor, who has since quit the team,  he had to enter against the Bengals after only 12 snaps. Lowe injured his knee in Week 2. Caedan Wallace took his place and struggled, then exited early with an injury of his own.

Kendrick Bourne, Cole Strange, Sione Takitaki, and Marte Mapu are among others yet to appear in a game due to injury.

Time to Play Better

The 2024 Patriots don’t need to suddenly become the 2004 Patriots. This team is unlikely to be competing for a Super Bowl this season. Being in contention for a playoff spot will be a significant accomplishment, whether that makes people unhappy to hear or not. They simply need to play better.

New England is capable of playing better, from the coaching staff on down. Their offensive line needs to figure out how to give their quarterbacks enough time to accomplish something. If that can’t be done, the offensive scheme needs to be changed so that plays are drawn up with the expectation of extremely limited time. The defense can’t miss tackles or have miscommunication. After being excellent in 2024 and solid for the first two weeks, the defense looked as inept as their offensive teammates on Thursday. That can’t continue.

Maybe the New England Patriots have no pathway to competing with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills this season. That’s okay. Nearly all of the teams in the NFL are extremely flawed and very beatable. The loss to the New York Jets was a gut punch but not a knockout punch. Now it’s time for New England to get back up and show that failing to be competitive in Week 3 was the exception, not the rule.