The New England Patriots have long been synonymous with winning football games under the brightest lights and by the narrowest of margins. Following a 24-17 loss to Miami on Sunday night the Patriots have fallen to 10-12 in one-score games in the post Tom Brady era. The Patriots’ 0-2 start has triggered a wide variety of reactions among fans from hope to dread. While they have shown flashes of promise every week, they continue to fall short. Here are six takeaways from New England’s season thus far.
1. Sixth-round rookies making rookie mistakes
Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte are a duo of sixth-round wide receivers that the Patriots drafted this past April. Both players made noise through training camp and cracked the opening 53-man roster. Boutte even found himself on the field for the final drive in week one. Boutte was targeted on what would be the final pass of the game but failed to get both feet in bounds when targeted leading to the end of the game. Boutte was a healthy scratch in week two.
Douglas has recorded six catches for 59 yards so far this season, but following a second-quarter fumble against Miami, Douglas was benched on offense for the rest of the game. Whether or not Douglas remains in the lineup next week or suffers a similar fate to Boutte remains to be seen.
Mac Jones has thrown to targets such as Jakobi Meyers, Devante Parker, and Kendrick Bourne in his New England career. All three are solid receivers and show flashes of greatness, but none of them have shown the talent to be a number-one receiver in this offense. The lack of a top-tier receiving option is evident.
2. The run game on offense has yet to get going
The Patriots rolled into this season with third-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson as well as free agent signee Ezekiel Elliott set to carry the bulk of the load. At this point, Stevenson has carried the ball 27 times for a mere 75 yards and 2.8 yards per carry (YPC). Elliott has run the ball just 12 times for 42 yards, which equates to 3.5 YPC.
Poor offensive line play factors into this, as well as the fact that the Patriots have been playing from behind. Evidently, Stevenson is on pace to earn only just above half of the amount of yards he collected last season. New England’s identity last year came on the ground and that running prowess has regressed so far this season.
Dolphins safety Jevon Holland runs freely into the Patriots backfield and tackles RB Rhamondre Stevenson for a loss. pic.twitter.com/Soj4nDFfdz
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) September 18, 2023
3. Offensive line play is crucial
The Patriots have struggled to gain consistency with their offensive line play stretching into last season. The Patriot’s offensive line has been beaten up by injuries this season as starting guards Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu missed week one. Although they returned for week two, Trent Brown would miss that game forcing rookie Vederian Lowe to start. While it was the first game back for Strange, he struggled and often whiffed on blocks or missed incoming pass rushers altogether. Even on the last offensive play of the game Strange, along with center David Andrews, allowed Bradley Chubb to run directly through them.
Starting right tackle Calvin Anderson did not have a great game this past weekend either. He was also guilty of missing blocks and not protecting his quarterback. Particularly in one case he missed a block that resulted in a sack which set up third and long. The offensive line is undoubtedly playing with injuries but first-year offensive line coach Adrian Klemm needs to sure up the offensive line.
4. The run defense needs to be shored up or it will be a long season
The Patriots have done a decent job in the passing game this season allowing only 419 yards combined between well-respected quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagavailoa. New England sits at 23rd in run defense based on yards allowed per game. Miami’s lead tailback Raheem Mostert ran for 121 yards along with two scores including what would be the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The Patriots were able to garner pressure into the backfield at times but repeated missed tackles hurt them. Lawrence Guy and Davon Godchaux must step up on the defensive line if the Patriots want to improve their run defense.
5. Special teams can still be exciting
The Patriots went through a special teams overhaul this offseason, moving on from veteran kicker Nick Folk in favor of rookie Chad Ryland out of Maryland. Another rookie in punter Bryce Baringer came in and won the starting job during the preseason. The sample size is small on both rookies so far, but Ryland did nail his first career field goal attempt on Sunday night on a 49-yard kick to put the Patriots on the board near the end of the first half.
The blocked kick by special teams player Brenden Schooler was the special teams highlight of last weekend. The second-year special teams ace got a running start and blocked an important field goal try that would have put the Dolphins up by three scores if it went in. If there is one thing that Belichick always nailed it is special teams and the young core looks to be holding their own so far.
6. Christian Gonzalez will be an all-pro corner in the NFL
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was drafted 17th overall in the 2023 draft. He stands at 6’2 and weighs 205 pounds. That length is visible while he is on the field. Gonzalez has been tasked with tough matchups to start the season in AJ Brown and Devonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles along with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Dolphins. Gonzalez recorded his first pass breakup on a pivotal fourth down play while covering Devonta Smith two Sundays ago.
The young corner’s stellar play continued on Sunday night when he recorded his first career interception on a deep pass intended for Tyreek Hill. The rookie put himself into the perfect position and timed his jump with precision to come down with the ball. This gave the Patriots another chance to keep on fighting. If Gonzalez can keep his play up, he will likely be a front-runner for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Although it is the Patriots’ first 0-2 start since 2001 there is a tiny bit of silver lining. Those 0-2 Patriots went on to win in week three against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on their way to a Superbowl victory against the St. Louis Rams. While Zach Wilson of the New York Jets, New England’s week three challenger may not be Peyton Manning, a win this upcoming Sunday will put the Patriots on the right track to fight for a spot in the playoffs.
