There has not been a more disappointing team to watch this season than the New England Patriots. They show up and are somewhat competitive in some games, or they lay an egg and get blown out.
The Patriots season can be summed up as could have, should have and would have. On paper, the Patriots are not a bad team, but on the field, the Patriots have shown a lack of execution, discipline and that winning factor they have had in past seasons.
Most of the time, when the Patriots are in a slump, they usually turn the season around somehow. It’s been the case for the past 20 years, but this season it’s different. The Patriot Way used to mean something to this team, it was the philosophy that led the Patriots to their success. However, after losing three straight games, two of them by over 30 points, the Patriot Way is dead. There is no buy-in factor, there’s no commitment and the worst part is they don’t play like a team.
While the performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday was better, the Raiders were the better team throughout all phases of the game. It didn’t start well for the Patriots offense, only having two yards of offense in the first quarter. To give that some perspective, the Raiders had more first downs than the Patriots had yards.
Poor decision-making and discipline have cost the Patriots plenty of times this season. The Raiders settled for a field goal in their first drive but had a chance to score a touchdown after the Patriots gave them a lifeline due to a leverage penalty on defensive lineman Sam Roberts during the kick. During the next Raiders drive the Patriots were called for an unnecessary roughness penalty on linebacker Jahlani Tavai after he slammed Raiders running back Josh Jacobs to the ground.
The worst penalty the Patriots took was a screen pass to Ezekiel Elliot who took it all the way for a touchdown in the second quarter. Only for it to be called back for holding on tight end Hunter Henry. While the Raiders defender did embellish the call, it took away a big play that could have shifted the momentum. In total, the Patriots had 10 penalties for a loss of 79 yards.
In the second half, the Patriots offense had a better performance and scored two touchdowns, which they have not done since Week 2. With the chance to win the game with a field goal, the Patriots failed miserably. Gaining a few yards in their first play, the Patriots would lose yards for a holding penalty called on offensive lineman Atonio Mafi immediately followed up by a drop by receiver DeVante Parker, which would have set up the Patriots in good position to kick the game-winning field goal. After a delay of game penalty quarterback Mac Jones would be sacked for a game-clinching safety for the Raiders.
The Patriots are now 1-5, the first time under head coach Bill Belichick. With how bad the team has been as of late, it begs the question of why should you even tune in on Sunday. The way this roster has been constructed reflects where the Patriots are right now. Their offense is not talented enough, their defense lacks cohesion and their special teams unit is relying on two rookies who are prone to making mistakes. While injuries have deterred their season a bit, the Patriots are simply not built to overcome these challenges.
The last team to start 1-5 and reach the playoffs was the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs. Last year the Detroit Lions started 1-6 and finished 9-8 barely missing the playoffs due to tiebreakers. Could the Patriots pull off some miracle similar to those teams? Probably not. What they can do is try to play disciplined and inspired football. Patriots fans have lost interest in this season already, the least the Patriots can do to make up for it is to try to be competitive in every game and play young talent that can give these fans hope for the future. If there even is any.
