There is no doubt among the Patriots fanbase and organization that, through eight weeks, this year has been a catastrophe. While there were countless questions and fears about the Patriots coming into this season, those fears are now becoming a reality. Among all the hopes or expectations of the Patriots faithful, a 2-6 start was not one of them. It has presented a seemingly impossible question: Is the Patriot Way coming to an end?
The manifesting issue for the Patriots–not only this year but ever since Brady left–is the struggling offense. While the close win against Buffalo was promising, it was just a small sample size for the offensive production this season. Not only do the Patriots rank at the bottom of the barrel in offensive efficiency this year, but there is a question of fire and motivation in their play. There was more hope coming into this season than in previous years, mostly because of the familiar face of Bill O’Brien back as Offensive Coordinator and the newly acquired weapons for Mac Jones and the offense. Additionally, the defense looked the best it has since Brady left.
Recently, we had an opportunity to sit down with a Patriots superfan, SHS junior Ben Caristi. Ben, who is bracing for the worst.
“Absolute dumpster fire,” Caristi stated when asked for his thoughts on the season. “They look like they’re not playing with any confidence.”
Before this weekend, the Patriots’ only win came against the streaking Jets–that win followed the injury of Aaron Rodgers. Unfortunately, the Patriots’ schedule only gets harder. The team still has games against their rival Dolphins this week and rival Bills again in Week 17. Moreover, they’ll be matching up against the prominent Chiefs and Chargers in the near future. As it stands in the AFC East division of the NFL, the Patriots are a game behind the third-place Jets and ranked 15th in the AFC.
“They’ve dug themselves into a major hole,” said ESPN writer Mike Reiss after the team’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Coach Bill Belichick’s response to the early struggles has been short yet simple: a full reset is the plan going forward for the team. Belichick, a man of few words, made sure to let reporters know that his team is not focused on the past but instead on their next matchup. Although the recent win has generated excitement for the team and fanbase, Belichick urges the team not to slow down and let up.
“We’re starting all over again,” Belichick stated in his press conference on October 25th. “We need to have another good week and need everybody to step up–offense, defense, special teams, coaches, players, you name it.”
For the rest of the season, the opinions of fans vary. While the previous win against the MVP candidate Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills delivered the promise Patriots fans needed, some fans are not sold on the idea.
“I think they’ll beat the Jets again, maybe squeeze out one or two more wins,” Caristi said. “Something has to change.”