With Judon & Gonzalez Likely Out For Rest Of The Season, Bill Belichick Brings Back J.C. Jackson

    By any measure, Sunday's game at Dallas (3-1) could not have gone much worse for New England (1-3) as they got embarrassed 38-3-the worst loss of Bill Belichick's head coaching career-in front of a national TV audience. It was so gross that I did not feel like writing about it afterwards since how many different ways can you get the obvious point across that they suck? The pain from that debacle will last for a long time since the two best players on the Patriots-defensive end Matthew Judon (bicep) and cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder)-each suffered what seem to be season-ending injuries that will both require surgery. Facing a brutal 1-3 start for the third season in a row, Belichick worked the phone lines and came up with a cornerback that we all know very well: J.C. Jackson. This morning, LA traded Jackson to New England along with a seventh-round pick in 2025 for a sixth-round pick in 2025. Sweetening the deal for Bill is the fact that the dopey Chargers are paying almost all of his salary ($9.33 million) for the rest of the season with the Pats only on the hook for $1.5 million. 

    Back in the good old days when the Patriots were one of the best teams in the NFL every season (you know, because they had Tom Brady), a move like this would be universally lauded. Instead, this is a frustrating move now for a couple reasons: 1) I understand that New England's defense just lost two standout players but Bill spends way too much time and money on that unit to begin with while he completely ignores the offense. 2) If the Chargers did not pay most of Jackson's money, is there any chance that Belichick would pull the trigger on this deal? Nope, because he loves cheap deals more than actual talent which is totally backwards if you want to win championships. Jackson is still only 27 years old and in his sixth season in the league (4 in New England and 2 in Los Angeles) but he has become the latest poster child for a guy that rightfully cashed in on a career season (he was an All-Pro his last season with the Pats and second in the NFL with 8 INTs) but he has done nothing since then.

    He ended up only playing seven total games with the Chargers after hurting his knee in Week 7 last season and in Week 3 a few weeks ago, things got so bad that he was a healthy scratch. After accumulating 25 interceptions as a Patriot and becoming an unlikely star who was undrafted out of Maryland, he only snagged one pick with LA. His monster deal in free agency-5 years, $82.5 million-runs through 2026 so you can bet that no matter what, New England will not want to pay that so he will probably be gone from Foxborough once again when this miserable season comes to an end. It is also troublesome that Belichick only appears to be interested in hiring coaches (Bill O'Brien) that he has already worked with or getting players that have previously played for him. If you only surround yourself with familiar faces and players that nobody else wants, how are you supposed to grow and gain new knowledge? 

    For this and many other reasons-quarterback Mac Jones had the worst game of his life against the Cowboys-the Pats are clearly at another pivotal moment in their franchise history. They host the Saints (2-2) on Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium. New Orleans' quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) is banged up so even if he plays or if goofball Jameis Winston is the starter, this should be a winnable game. However, other than the Jets, it is tough to favor New England against anyone else at the moment. They have so many holes on their roster which was mediocre at best to start the year. Judon was a legitimate Pro Bowler and Gonzalez looked like a steal and an early favorite for the Defensive Rookie of The Year. They are in such rough shape that we all hope that Jackson starts on Sunday after only being back here for a few days. Have you seen fellow cornerback Myles Bryant try to play football? Even if the Patriots win a rock fight against the Saints, it is hard to see them getting the requisite nine or ten wins that it will take to reach the playoffs this season.

The Patriots Steamrolled The Hapless Jaguars 50-10 & Clinched A Playoff Spot In The Process

 

    While I take little joy in beating up on one of the worst franchises in American sports, the Patriots (10-6 overall, 4-5 home) desperately needed a win after two tough losses in a row against the Colts (9-7) and Bills (10-6) in the last few weeks. Enter the lambs known as the Jaguars (2-14 overall, 0-8 away) who came to Gillette Stadium this afternoon and got crushed 50-10 by the Pats. With the win, New England clinched a playoff spot and kept alive their faint hopes for a division title. This is the first regular season with 17 games and the Patriots will end the campaign next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) in Miami (8-8) against the Dolphins who were elminated from playoff contention today following a 34-3 drubbing by the Titans (11-5)-who are back on top of the AFC. Buffalo hosts the Jets (4-12) which means it is unlikely that New York will pull off the upset, then again the Jags beat the Bills earlier this season so I guess we can't take almost anything for granted these days in the NFL.

    Seeing No. 1 overall pick rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence (17-of-27 for 193 yards, TD, 3 INTs) look like a puddle was a powerful reminder how much it is all about fit and the situation that you are in when it comes to the NFL. How much better would Lawrence be with the Pats? We'll never know but for now, we feel happy that we have rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-30 for 227 yards, 3 TDs) on our side. New England also has perhaps the best 1-2 combination of running backs in the NFL as rookie Rhamondre Stevenson (19 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs) and Damien Harris (2 TDs) combined for four touchdowns. This being the Pats, of course we also have to talk about an undrafted rookie wide receiver-Kristian Wilkerson-who made his NFL debut and caught not one but two touchdowns while fellow receiver N'Keal "Bust" Harry was a healthy scratch. 

    New England's top two wide receivers Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 76 yards) and Jakobi Meyers (8 catches, 73 yards, TD) also had nice performances while cornerbacks Myles Bryant and J.C. Jackson along with safety Kyle Dugger each recorded an interception. Like a homecoming game in college football, this one was never remotely competitive. The Patriots were up 7-3 after the first quarter but that became 28-3 at halftime following three touchdowns by the home team in the second quarter. The Pats tacked on 13 more points in the third quarter and they cruised in the last frame by adding nine more points before Jacksonville scored the most garbage time of touchdowns-a 28-yard catch-and-run by running back Dare Ogunbowale-that along with Matthew Wright's PAT cut New England's lead down to 50-10. 

    After three rushing touchdowns last week, Harris fittingly notched the first score in this lopsided contest: a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and kicker Nick Folk added a point after to make it 7-0. The Jags settled for a 29-yard field goal by Wright later in the first quarter. It only took until the second quarter for Jacksonville to look like they didn't want to be there anymore in the cold rain and fog of Foxborough in January. In a little under 11 minutes of game time, New England scored three touchdowns to effectively put it out of reach before halftime. Harris notched a seven-yard touchdown run, Wilkerson caught a six-yard touchdown (his 1st as a pro) and Meyers grabbed a four-yard touchdown with Folk adding three point afters for that 28-3 lead.

    In the third quarter, Wilkerson was left wide open and he caught a 20-yard touchdown (Folk's extra point was blocked) before Stevenson punched in a one-yard touchdown run (Folk's point after was good) after Dugger returned his interception to the Jacksonville one-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Folk hit a 43-yard field goal and Stevenson recorded a six-yard touchdown run (the two-point run conversion failed). The Alabama duo of rookie defensive lineman Christian Barmore and linebacker Dont'a Hightower both took down Lawrence for a sack apiece. This was your classic get right game for the Patriots and all you can hope is that like earlier in the season after they destroyed the Jets (4-12), New England can use this result as a springboard to bigger and better things. They shouldn't need any extra motivation against Miami who beat them in Week 1 at Gillette.  

Injury-Ravaged Titans Hung With The Pats Then New England Rolled To Their Sixth Straight Win

 

    Is there anybody left that actually doubts the Patriots (8-4 overall, 3-4 home) this season after they dropped the top-seeded Titans (8-4 overall, 4-2 away) 36-13 this afternoon at Gillette Stadium? New England's sixth victory in a row comes with a rather large asterisk since Tennessee was missing its top three offensive players (running back Derrick Henry along with wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown) but that hardly matters at the moment when you consider that the Pats were 2-4 earlier in this campaign. Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones (23-of-32 for career-high 310 yards, 2 TDs) was really good and New England's defense pitched a shutout in the second half after head coach Mike Vrabel's Titans were quite frisky in the first half and only trailed by three points (16-13) at halftime.

    New England's red zone issues are still a thing since kicker Nick Folk attempted a whopping six field goals (and thankfully made five of them) but other than that, it is hard to find anything else to legitimately complain about. 

    Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (5 catches, 61 yards) has surprisingly morphed into the best offensive playmaker on the Pats and he added two more touchdowns. Jones hit him with a four-yard fade pass in the corner of the end zone which coupled with Folk's PAT were the only points of the first quarter. Tennessee's quarterback Ryan Tannehill (11-of-21 for 93 yards, TD, INT; 24 yards rushing) has become a solid player with the Titans but it's hard to blame him for his struggles today with such a lack of weapons. Tannehill threw a one-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early in the second quarter but Tennessee's kicker Randy Bullock missed the point after. It was a chilly day in Foxborough so they kept Folk busy with three field goals in the second quarter (from 22, 37 and 44 yards). New England's run defense was terrible to start the year, however they had really tightened things up lately, that is until journeyman Dontrell Hillard (12 carries, 131 yards) scampered 68 yards for a score with 37 seconds left in the half. Bullock made that extra point (but he later clanked a field goal attempt), regardless the Pats had to be frustrated going into the break.

    After losing to Vrabel in their first two career meetings as coaches, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick got to exact a little revenge as his club methodically worked over the Titans. Folk had to settle for another short kick (28 yards) early in the third quarter but Bourne submitted the highlight of the day for the home team as he took a seemingly innocent pass from Jones and weaved 41 yards for the backbreaking score. Folk's extra point gave New England double the points of Tennessee (26-13) and with such a limited offense, you knew that spelled trouble for the visitors. Folk's only miss was a 53-yard field goal attempt late in the first half but he atoned for that by crushing a 52-yard kick in the fourth quarter. He is once again having a fantastic Pro Bowl caliber season and the only thing that makes you worry about him is the thought of having to attempt a long kick like that in a close playoff game. Running back Damien Harris notched a 14-yard touchdown run in pseudo garbage time and with Folk's PAT, the rout was finally on at 36-13 late in the fourth quarter. 

    New England's defense recovered three fumbles (by cornerback Jalen Mills, some linebacker named Jahlani Tevani and safety Kyle Dugger), sacked Tannehill twice (by linebackers Ja'Whaun Bentley and Matthew Judon) and cornerback J.C. Jackson recorded yet another interception while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches, 98 yards) nearly had 100 receiving yards. With the win, the Patriots maintained their spot in first place in the AFC East. Their biggest game of the season-at least so far-comes next Monday night (8:15, ESPN) in Orchard Park, NY as they meet the Bills (7-4 overall, 3-2 home) for the first time in 2021. The Patriots and Buffalo play twice in the next four weeks (including a bye for the Pats) so those two matchups should go a long way in deciding who wins the division and also vies for that lone home bye given to the AFC's No. 1 seed. With so few certainties in the NFL this season, the Patriots have suddenly morphed into one of the only teams that you can rationally trust to play well and usually find a way to win. 

Pats Blank The Hapless Falcons 25-0 On Thursday Night Football For Their Fifth Straight Win

 

    It is going to take much more than a short week and an overmatched opponent to slow down the red hot Patriots (7-4 overall, 5-0 away) at the moment. Tonight they went to the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA and they picked up the 13th shutout in head coach Bill Belichick's tenure in New England with a pretty easy 25-0 victory over the falling apart Falcons (4-6 overall, 1-4 home). This was a very dominant performance by the Pats defense as they held shorthanded Atlanta to 165 total yards and just 11 first downs while they picked off Matt Ryan (19-of-28 for 153 yards, 2 INT), Josh Rosen (remember him!?) and the immortal Feleipe Franks a total of four times and they also sacked Ryan four times. Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon added another sack and he has already reached double-digits and a new career-high (10-5) with six games left to go in the regular season. New England's reward for a job well done is an extended break before Thanksgiving and then their schedule gets way harder down the stretch.

    Aside from linebacker Kyle Van Noy (8 tackles, 5 solo, 2 sacks, pick-6), the best player for the Patriots this evening was kicker Nick Folk (minus that missed PAT in garbage time). Folk started the scoring with his easiest kick of the night-a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter. New England took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter as rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-26 for 207 yards, TD, INT) hit wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 19-yard catch and run touchdown where he was never even touched by a Falcons defender. Folk's point after made it 10-0 and he added a 44-yard field goal as time ran out in the first half. With no Falcons No. 1 wide receiver Calvin Ridley nor former Patriots great Cordarrelle Patterson in the lineup, the 13-0 advantage by the road team felt like twice that much if not more. 

    This being Thursday Night Football, the second half was a complete bore featuring no points in the third quarter and two additional field goals by Folk to start the final frame (from a season-long 53 yards and 33 yards). Lastly, Van Noy added the laugh track with a 35-yard interception return for a score against Rosen who will probably be out of the league any minute now. Safety Devin McCourty and cornerback J.C. Jackson had earlier picked off Ryan and safety Adrian Phillips made a sweet diving interception on rookie Feleipe Franks who had only one pass attempt. Yeesh. That marked the first time in the NFL since the Chargers way back in 2000 when three QBs on the same team threw INTs in the same game. 

    The next two matchups on the schedule should be the hardest for the Pats in the 2021 regular season: they host the Titans (8-2) a week from Sunday (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium before going to Buffalo (6-3) for Monday Night Football (8:15, ESPN) on Dec. 6 and their first meeting with the Bills in this campaign. Most would say that those are the two best teams in the AFC so facing them in back-to-back weeks should be a daunting task. Still, after they started this year 2-4, who would have believed that the Patriots could even be in this position? They are clearly a playoff team that should be fighting for an AFC East division title and homefield advantage. How they do in the next few contests will tell us what we can reasonably expect in the postseason this winter.

You Can Take Sam Darnold Off The Jets But You Cannot Take The Stench Of The Jets Out Of Him

 

    All around the NFL today, weird things happened in Week 9. Tons of upsets occured but not at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon in Charlotte, NC as the Patriots (5-4 overall, 4-0 road) dominated the Panthers (4-5 overall, 2-3 home) 24-6 to win their third straight game for the first time in two years. After it looked for most of the week like backup quarterback P.J. Walker would get the start at quarterback for Carolina, head coach Matt Rhule decided to go with former Jets bust Sam Darnold (16-of-33 for 0 TDs, 3 INTs) and boy oh boy it did not turn out well. In fact, it was a good reminder that Pats head coach Bill Belichick vs. Darnold is one of the locks of the century in the league as New England improved to 4-0 against him while Sam has managed just one touchdown and nine interceptions combined in those four losses.

    This was like a very early Tom Brady game with the Patriots (hear me out) in the sense that our favorite rookie quarterback Mac Jones (12-of-18 for 139 yards, TD, INT) could not have done much less to get the win. Instead, New England relied on a stiff defense and a solid running game that combined for 151 yards. Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey (54 yards receiving, 52 yards rushing) returned for the first time since Week 3 but he did most of his damage in garbage time when the game had long since been decided. Pats rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson (62 yards rushing, 44 yards receiving) was having his best performance as a pro before he left with a possible concussion. Another New England running back-Damien Harris-also departed with a head injury in the fourth quarter which meant that good old Brandon Bolden (54 yards rushing, 27 yards receiving) was left to grind the win away. 

    This was far from the most exciting football game that I have ever seen since it was 0-0 after the first quarter and neither team scored in the fourth quarter either. Carolina's kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter (from 39 yards and 49 yards) but those were sandwiched around a three-yard touchdown run by Harris and a five-yard touchdown pass from Jones to tight end Hunter Henry (his 5th game in a row with a TD catch) along with a pair of point afters by kicker Nick Folk. New England led 14-6 at halftime and that became 21-6 midway through the third quarter as Darnold made a horrific mistake by throwing a pick-six (that went 88 yards!), the first of Jackson's career. The free-agent-to-be earned some more money thanks entirely to Darnold who forced another pass into the end zone where Jackson was able to snag it. Linebacker Jamie Collins also made a spectacular interception by jumping up at the line of scrimmage right as Darnold tried to fire the ball over the middle and linebacker Matthew Judon added yet another sack to his impressive total. Folk's 37-yard field goal late in the third quarter turned out to be the last points of the contest. 

    The Patriots will host the Browns (5-4) next Sunday afternoon (1, CBS) at Gillette Stadium where New England has surprisingly struggled in 2021 by going 1-4. Cleveland embarrassed the Bengals (5-4) 41-16 today in Cincinnati. Former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. goes on waivers tomorrow and if he goes unclaimed, he would be a free agent on Tuesday. I mention that because I would not be shocked to see Belichick take a chance on him for the rest of the season. The Pats are far from a great team and they still have many needs but you wonder what adding such a volatile personality would do to the mix. Still, their receiver group is pretty weak and guys with Beckham's talent (assuming that he's not completely washed up at this juncture of his career) are hard to come by particularly when Bill cannot draft them to save his life. I mention all of this because it should be a competitive game to begin with and adding Odell to the situation would make it even more fascinating. We shall see what happens over the next few days but thankfully, the Patriots should be a playoff team this season and who knows, maybe they could even push the Bills (5-3) for the AFC East title after Buffalo somehow fell 9-6 at Jacksonville (2-6) today. New England still has both meetings with the Bills left to play. 

The Patriots Traded Cornerback Stephon Gilmore To The Panthers For A Sixth-Round Pick In 2023

 

    The Stephon Gilmore era as a Patriot came to a predictable but nonetheless disappointing end this morning. At first, reports said that New England was about to release him but a few hours later, he was flipped to Carolina for a sixth-round draft pick in 2023. That makes a huge difference, not! (Borat voice). Ugh, look we all knew that his days were numbered here last year once he held out and suffering a season-ending quad injury did not help matters. He began this season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list so he never actually played a game in 2021. Still, he just turned 31 years old a few weeks ago and this is a guy who was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 so the fact that Pats head coach/GM Bill Belichick basically gave him away for nothing is a joke. 

    Many of us have started to question Bill's ability to coach in today's modern NFL but don't get me started on his numerous shortcomings as a GM. The scary part is that Gilmore was the team's best player and the closest thing they currently have to a No. 1 cornerback is J.C. Jackson who is going to be a free agent after this season so is there any doubt that he will soon be gone too? Gilmore had four mostly great seasons as a Patriot: he made 13 interceptions (11 in the regular season & 2 in the playoffs) and scored two touchdowns, he went to three Pro Bowls, was named an All-Pro twice and most importantly was a key part of their last Super Bowl title in 2019 vs. the Rams. Not only does he basically get to go home now (he grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina) but he will supposedly return in Week 7 when he's eligible to get back on the field and he wants to play out the year on his current deal-something that he had no interest in doing here. 

    This is yet another star player for the Pats that got run out of town for having the audacity to want to be paid what he is actually worth. Haha the nerve of that guy! The problem now is that without Tom Brady the greatest quarterback in NFL history on his side, Belichick is going to have a hard time attracting top free agents like Gilmore (who was signed after spending his first five NFL seasons with Buffalo). New England was a mess last season and finished 7-9 as they missed the playoffs. This season, rookie quarterback Mac Jones has looked promising but the fact is that they have started 1-3 so it is going to be an uphill battle to get into playoff contention. If the team continues to slide into mediocrity, what will be the draw to come here? Our crappy weather or mediocre home stadium and facilities? Bill completely bungled one of his few really valuable assets that he had left. He should have traded Gilmore before last season, instead he is left with almost nothing in return for a guy who pretty recently was a top player in the league. 

Zach Wilson (4 INTs) Implodes As The Patriots Roll To A 25-6 Victory Against The Hapless Jets

 

    There are few certainties in life anymore except the fact that the Jets (0-2) will be a doormat for the rest of eternity. The Patriots (1-1) were the lucky team that got to face New York this afternoon at MetLife Stadium. After a decent debut last week in a 19-14 loss at the Panthers (2-0), Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson-the No. 2 pick in the draft-was a complete disaster as he threw interceptions on his first two pass attempts and ended up with four interceptions for the game as New England cruised to an easy 25-6 win. 

    It was not pretty but Pats rookie quarterback Mac Jones (22-of-30 for 186 yards) didn't turn the ball over. The Patriots' defense added four sacks of Wilson while running back James White ran for a seven-yard touchdown and running back Damien Harris had the play of the game with a 26-yard TD run early in the third quarter (that made it 19-3 Pats) where he carried a host of Jets into the end zone before receiving a final push over the goal line by Jones and his offensive linemen. Pats kicker Nick Folk missed a PAT but nobody will remember that since he hit four field goals (46, 49, 32, 26). 

    If you are looking for troubling trends two games into the season with the Patriots, their offensive line is a bit of a mess (Jones got sacked three times) with right tackle Trent Brown out with a calf injury, their run defense stinks (they allowed 152 yards to New York) and their red zone offense leaves something to be desired. Still, Buffalo (1-1) destroyed Miami (1-1) 35-0 this afternoon meaning that three AFC East teams are all 1-1 while the Jets fittingly are alone in the basement. The Bills figure to pull away from the Dolphins and Patriots at some point later this season while New York will probably be one of the worst teams in the NFL yet again. 

    It was a good day to have New England's defense in fantasy football as cornerback J.C. Jackson had a pair of interceptions while safeties Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips also added picks and linebacker Josh Uche sacked Wilson twice. It was one of those situations where you could wonder if the Pats defense was that stout or if they simply took advantage of some awful mistakes by Wilson? This was never really that competitive as the visitors led 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-3 at halftime then 22-3 after three quarters. Time will tell who has the better NFL career-Jones or Wilson-but it is ironic that Jones' first NFL victory came at the expense of another highly-touted rookie in his draft class. 

    Next Sunday afternoon (1, FOX), the Pats return to Gillette Stadium where they will try to get their first home win of 2021 against the Saints (1-1). After embarassing the Packers 38-3 in Week 1 behind five touchdown passes from mercurial quarterback Jameis Winston, New Orleans came crashing back to Earth this afternoon with a 26-7 loss at Carolina. The Saints still have a bunch of great players and head coach Sean Payton is regarded as one of the best in the league so the Pats should have their hands full trying to get another win.

Worst Pats Season In 20 Years Fittingly Ends On A Bad Note As Their Top Draft Pick Drops To No. 15

 

    So this is what it's like to cheer for most other teams in the NFL? The last day of the regular season rolled around today and after the Patriots (7-9 overall, 5-3 home) stupidly beat the hapless Jets (2-14 overall, 1-7 away) 28-14 at snowy Gillette Stadium, we have nothing else to look forward to now-at least when it comes to our favorite football team-but the draft and free agency which are both months away. Woof. In what was hopefully his last game for New England, quarterback Cam Newton (21-of-30 for 242 yards, 3 TDs; 79 yards rushing; 19-yd TD catch) had perhaps his best performance in an otherwise terrible season (for him and the team). New York was already locked into the No. 2 pick (Ohio State QB Justin Fields?) and shortly after this most meaningless of affairs was over, they fired their woefully-overmatched head coach Adam Gase (he was 9-23 in 2 seasons in charge). 

    With a loss and some help from other teams with similar records, New England could have reached as high as the No. 10 pick in the first round (when's the last time they were up that high?) but they couldn't even do that right as the victory gave them their worst possible scenario-the 15th pick on April 29. As you would expect, there really was no new information to glean from this glorified fourth preseason game other than the fact that the Patriots should avoid Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (23-of-34 for 266 yards, TD, 2 INTs) at all costs if he becomes available because he stinks. Oh and Jarrett Stidham never saw the field this afternoon which tells you everything about what Pats head coach Bill Belichick thinks of him at this point. 

    If you were hoping for a Patriots loss like I was (along with any other halfwit Pats fan), the first half and much of the third quarter were promising. You knew right off the jump that it would be a weird one as running back James White caught a seven-yard touchdown from Cam on the first drive of the contest but Jets tight end Chris Herndon snagged a 21-yard touchdown from Darnold in the second quarter to make it 7-7 at halftime. NFL Films no doubt will fast-track the highlights of this instant classic to make some big money. New York scored on the first drive of the second half as running back Josh Adams found the end zone on a one-yard run. New York led 14-7 for most of the frame until New England's offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels went into his bag of tricks (polishing his resume and LinkedIn page before he finally leaves here again for another head coaching job?) and called for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (6 catches for 68 yards on 7 targets) to toss a 19-yard touchdown to Newton. Did you know that Meyers played quarterback at NC State? Me neither, I just found that out today (JK!). 

    Things really started to go off the rails in the fourth quarter as you could hear the Jets' team bus starting up in the background. Rookie tight end Devin Asiasi picked a fine time to make the first two catches of his NFL career including a 26-yard TD from Cam. Would you believe that was the first touchdown catch of the season for any Patriots tight end? You couldn't even make up that horrifying stat if you tried. Running back Sony Michel (76 yards rushing; 60 yards receiving) similarly chose to show off and in the process, to do something that he'd never done in three years in the NFL (!): he caught a pass and went 31 yards for his first TD catch. Three Patriots defensive players were able to pad their stats as well with cornerbacks J.C. Jackson (his 9th of the season, tied with Ty Law in 1998 for 2nd most in team history) and Jonathan Jones each notching an interception and defensive end Chase Winovich (6 tackles, 4 solo, 2 sacks, pass deflected, 3 QB hits) had his best game of this fruitless season.

    The scariest part about this rebuild for the Patriots is that it feels like they are miles away from winning the AFC East anytime soon let alone compete for a Super Bowl title (which used to be the main focus in these parts) since the Bills (13-3) and Dolphins (10-6) are way more talented and just getting started after years of laying down to New England year after year. Belichick is still one of the better head coaches in the league-not that he really showed it in 2020-but his constant failures as a GM have really come back to bite him and the franchise lately. Also, do you believe at this point in his Hall of Fame career that he will allow any other prominent voices in the room that heaven forbid might have a slightly different opinion on something than him? Probably not since both of his sons are assistant coaches along with one of his favorite ex-players (Jerod Mayo) that he coached here. 

    For weeks, we've been told over and over how much cap space the Pats have available going into next season but honestly, when is the last time they aggressively went out in free agency and spent top dollar to get one of the best players (a crazy concept, I know)? The unfortunate reality is that having Tom Brady for so long was a smokescreen for so many other flaws on the roster and in terms of Belichick's stubborn style of coaching that feels very outdated for the millennials in 2021. The only way any of this will change in the near future is if they get a legitimate quarterback and we saw how badly they whiffed this year with Newton and Stidham. Does that give you any hope that they'll strike gold next time? Getting Brady in the sixth round is like winning Powerball, the odds of anything like that ever happening again to you are basically impossible. 

The Inevitable Is Now Official: For The First Time Since 2008, The Pats Will Not Reach The Playoffs

 

    If you've spent any of your plentiful pandemic spare time watching this sad-sack version of the Patriots (6-8 overall, 2-6 away), you knew that at some point soon this day was coming. At no point in this waste of a season (for them at least), have they consistently looked like a playoff team. Sure, they've had a few nice moments and unexpected wins along the way but as a wise man-Bill Parcells-once said, "you are what your record says you are." Indeed, that's a bit of a dated reference but probably fitting as this afternoon New England lost 22-12 to the Dolphins (9-5 overall, 5-3 home) at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. For the second straight game, the Pats failed to score a single touchdown which is about all you need to know about another pathetic offensive effort from this deeply flawed team. As a result of today's completely predictable outcome, New England won't be in the postseason for the first time since 2008 (the year that Tom Brady blew out his knee in the opener) and it is also their first non-winning campaign since way back in 2000. 

    Last week's wretched loss to the Rams (who somehow lost today to the Jets!) basically sealed the coffin shut on New England's unlikely path to the playoffs. Instead, they get two more meaningless contests to hopefully tank to get the best possible draft pick (not that I have any faith in Bill Belichick to select the right player in the first round). In a related topic, for the love of God, can he finally bench quarterback Cam Newton (17-of-27 for 209 yards; 38 yards rushing) and give Jarrett Stidham his first career NFL start? Even if he plays for free, there is no logical justification to bring Newton back next season and why is Bill so reluctant to put Stidham in any situation but a blowout? Few think he'll be the answer for the next Pats quarterback but why not throw him out there next Monday night (8:15, ESPN) against the high-flying AFC East champion (for the 1st time since 1995!) Buffalo Bills (11-3) who are suddenly one of the best teams in football?

    If you ever doubted the importance of a quality QB in the NFL, this ill-fated season by the Patriots could serve as a case study in how not to address the fallout from the best quarterback in NFL history leaving for another team. There is a reason why Newton was still available this summer: he's absolutely cooked. He simply can't throw anymore (which was never his biggest strength anyway) and like any running quarterback, the wear and tear has caught up to him so he's not the battering ram like he used to be. The only pleasant surprise with him is that it turns out he's actually a really good guy that teammates love to play with. The Pats have no choice but to use a draft pick (preferably one of their first ones) on a new quarterback while simultaneously signing an experienced veteran signal-caller (in the Ryan Fitzpatrick or Matthew Stafford mold) while serving as a bridge to the next guy. 

    The scary part about the Patriots' rebuild is that they appear nowhere close to being good again since years of awful drafts coupled with being super cheap in free agency coupled with not hitting on many trades has left them with a mediocre at best roster. With their quarterback Josh Allen a legitimate MVP candidate, the Bills are in great shape (not to mention a loaded roster) and meanwhile former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores is building something in Miami with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (20-of-26 for 145 yards, INT; 2 rushing TDs) showing signs that he could be a nice player at this level as the Dolphins make a push for the playoffs. The Jets' (1-13) mind-numbingly stupid victory today means that if the draft happened tomorrow, the Jaguars (1-13) would get the top pick which will be Clemson's incredible quarterback Trevor Lawrence. If New York can acquire him, they would have a better QB than New England as well, yikes.

    Today was a microcosm of this entire frustrating season for the Patriots as their best players were kicker Nick Folk (who made 4 FGs) and punter Jake Bailey who hit a 56-yard punt that was downed at the two-yard line. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (7 catches, 111 yards on 10 targets) re-emerged, with Damien Harris (ankle) out, running back Sony Michel (10 carries, 74 yards) had fresh legs and cornerback J.C. Jackson picked off Tua at the goal-line for his eighth interception of the season. After a scoreless first quarter, Folk hit a pair of field goals in the second quarter and the Pats took a 6-0 lead into halftime. Even with their best receiver (DeVante Parker) and a good tight end (Mike Gesicki) both out with injuries, you knew that the Patriots' crappy defense could only hold down Miami for so long. Seeing cornerback Stephon Gilmore leave with a non-contact leg injury in the second quarter probably puts a cap on a bizarre and disappointing 2020 for him. You have to wonder if he'll ever play another game for the Pats after all the drama he caused this year. 

    The Dolphins running game is not known as a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination but you wouldn't know that the way that a no-name undrafted rookie named Salvon Ahmed (23 carries, 122 yards, TD) and veteran Matt Breida (12 carries, 86 yards) both ran over the Patriots particularly in the second half. Ahmed's one-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter put the Dolphins ahead 7-6. Another 45-yard field goal by Folk gave New England their last lead at 9-7 late in the frame. Tua ran for a three-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter and added a two-point conversion pass to Ahmed which gave Miami a 15-9 lead. Folk's last field goal cut it to 15-12 Miami but Tua's one-yard touchdown run iced it late for the home team.

The 72-game NBA regular season starts on Tuesday with the Celtics opening on Wednesday as they host the Bucks then the NHL just confirmed that their 56-game regular season will start on January 13 with some different divisions (including an All-Canada one since they have strict travel restrictions during the pandemic). There won't be any Patriots playoff action but it's not like they deserved to be anywhere near that. At least we aren't some one team podunk place, this holiday season among many other way more important things (the health of my family, friends and myself), I am thankful to have the Celts and B's to get us through our first and hopefully last Covid-19 winter.

UPDATE 12/21/20: There was some good news on the Gilmore injury front as he tore a quad muscle which will require surgery but at least it wasn't a serious knee or leg injury that would take a much longer recovery period. Tonight, Gilmore, punter Jake Bailey and special teams captain Matthew Slater were all named to the Pro Bowl for the Patriots this season, their only three representatives. 

The Patriots (6-6) Are Finally Back To The .500 Mark After Destroying The Hapless Chargers 45-0

 

    2020 has brought all of us many unexpected (and mostly terrible things) but I can confidently say that I never saw a 45-0 Patriots victory transpiring in this worst year in modern human history. Enter New England (6-6 overall, 2-4 on the road) who are playing their best football of the season as they won for the fourth time in the last five games by going into SoFi Stadium and completely embarrassing the Chargers (3-9 overall, 2-4 at home). Just how bad was it for the home team? Well it goes down as the worst (by point-margin) defeat in franchise history. Head coach Anthony Lynn was already on the hot seat before this steaming dump of a performance and this turned out to be so ugly, that would anybody be the least bit surprised to hear that he's been fired tomorrow or later on this week? 

    It figured to at least be a relatively close game that LA would inevitably cough up at the end (their trademark if you will under Lynn is losing one-score games) but rookie quarterback sensation Justin Herbert (26-of-53 for 209 yards, 2 INTs) had by far his worst game as a pro that should cool down his Rookie of the Year campaign just a bit. On a related note, I have no idea why he played the entire contest when he represents both the present and the future of that perennial losing team. Patriots rookie wide receiver/human emoji Gunner Olszewski had never scored an NFL touchdown so obviously he found the end zone not once but twice on the day thanks to a 70-yard punt return in the second quarter and a 38-yard catch-and-run from Jarrett Stidham (!!!) deep into garbage time in the fourth quarter. 

    Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (12-of-19 for 69 yards, TD; 48 yards rushing, 2 TDs) did not have to do all that much besides a pair of short touchdown runs (1-yard and 2-yards) and a five-yard touchdown pass to everyone's favorite bust wide receiver N'Keal Harry in the third quarter. Down 21-0 on the last play of the first half, Lynn chose to go for a 58-yard field goal attempt that immediately backfired in the worst possible way as something called Cody Davis on the Pats blocked it and safety Devin McCourty returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Haha unbelievable, this felt like the good old days of New England sucking the life out of an overmatched opponent in hilarious fashion.

    Olszewski ironically had a punt return for a touchdown called back last week vs. Arizona so it was nice to see him get rewarded right away after that tough break. Patriots defensive end Chase Winovich made a beautiful diving interception (his 1st in the NFL) while cornerback J.C. Jackson also picked off an errant throw by Herbert for his NFL-best seventh pick of the season. Normally, I could care less about the Pro Bowl (the stupidest All-Star game in pro sports) but with that said, Jackson has to be a Pro Bowler this season, who could have believed he would do this? The Patriots are staying in California since they have a very quick turnaround as they visit the Rams (8-4 overall, 4-1 at home) on Thursday night (8:20, Fox). LA's real team beat Arizona (6-6) 38-28 this afternoon and Seattle (8-4) shockingly lost to the Giants (5-7) so the Rams are now in first-place in the NFC West-the best division in the NFL.

    Thursday Night Football is usually trash but at least this matchup is extra intriguing because these teams last met in the Super Bowl two years ago (won 13-3 by Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Pats). Rams head coach Sean McVay and his mercurial quarterback Jared Goff are having a good season after they were both a mess last year (can you say Super Bowl hangover?). New England's defense has really stepped up lately so it will be interesting to see if McVay can find a way to solve whatever Belichick decides to throw at them this time. They still probably have to win out and finish 10-6 to have a realistic shot at the playoffs since the teams ahead of them in the AFC don't seem to be losing much but regardless of that, the Patriots deserve serious credit for giving us a season after all hope looked lost multiple times following brutal losses to Denver, San Francisco and Houston.

In A Monsoon At Gillette Stadium, Pats Pick Up Their Best Win Of the Season, 23-17 vs. Ravens

 

    Starting this season with a woeful record of 2-5, the Patriots (4-5 overall, 3-2 home) put themselves in a major hole to even dream about a shot at the playoffs. However, on a short week after barely getting by the winless Jets (0-9) on Monday, the Pats won back-to-back games for the first time in 2020 as they held off the overrated Ravens (6-3 overall, 4-1 away) 23-17 tonight at rain-soaked Gillette Stadium. So much for tanking since a victory like this shows what they are capable of doing when they play classic complimentary football against one of the better teams in the AFC. It was not a fluke either because they held Baltimore's superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson (24-of-34 for 249 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 55 yards rushing) somewhat in check while New England's new top running back Damien Harris ran for a career-high 121 yards (his 3rd 100-yard game of the season) on just 22 carries. 

    Pats quarterback Cam Newton (13-of-17 for 118 yards, TD; 21 yards rushing, TD) couldn't match the numbers that Jackson put up but he didn't need to with so many of his teammates stepping up to help him and most importantly, he had zero turnovers. Pats wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (5 catches for 59 yards on 7 targets; 24-yard touchdown pass!) continues to make plays while running back Rex Burkhead (66 total yards) caught a pair of touchdowns and cornerback J.C. Jackson set a franchise record with an interception in his fifth straight game and he also leads the NFL in picks this season with six. Besides some terrible snaps by Ravens center Matt Skura that caused three fumbles (!!) the terrible weather didn't affect the outcome as much as you would expect. Rain or no rain, throwing the ball still isn't Jackson's main strength and New England's defense at least contained his explosive play capability for the most part.  

    In a lot of ways, these teams want to do similar things offensively: control the clock and methodically march down the field before scoring. For that reason, neither is really built to play from behind so while Baltimore was up 7-0 in the second quarter then 10-7, New England took a 13-10 halftime lead and never looked back as they did just enough to hang on. Oddly enough, the first quarter and the fourth quarter were both scoreless so all the points came from the middle frames. The Ravens looked like undisciplined front-runners as they clearly let their frustrations get to them to the tune of eight penalties for 64 yards. The Patriots notched six more first downs (25-19) and surprisingly against one of the NFL's top rushing attacks, New England outgained them 173-115 on the ground. 

    Getting the ball to Harris was key from the start for the home team and he actually took hand-offs on the first five offensive plays. On the first play of the second quarter, Willie Snead (5 catches for 64 yards on 7 targets) took a flip from Jackson-officially credited as a pass-and got to the corner of the end zone first. The NFL's best kicker Justin Tucker added the PAT for a 7-0 Ravens lead. To call that drive impressive for Baltimore was an understatement as they went almost the entire field (94 yards in 13 plays) which took up over half a quarter (8:04). The Patriots answered with a strong drive of their own: 75 yards in seven plays that took 3:08. Burkhead caught a screen pass from Newton and rumbled in from seven yards out. Nick Folk's PAT tied it up at seven.

    The next drive for the Ravens stalled in the red zone as Jackson short-hopped a pass to his wide open tight end Mark Andrews (7 catches for 61 yards on 9 targets) in the middle of the end zone so they were forced to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Tucker. The Pats went into halftime with a 13-10 lead thanks to another great drive: 10 plays, 75 yards in 4:30. The go-ahead score came thanks to a moment of brilliance from Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels who called for a pass from Newton to Meyers who then lofted it into the end zone for a diving Burkhead. Folk missed the point after (which I was convinced would come back to bite them later) but that couldn't ruin what otherwise was a great effort in the first 30 minutes by the Patriots. The cherry on top was Lamar forcing a deep pass down the sideline and J.C. (no relation) picking it off which allowed Newton to kneel to end the half. 

    The Patriots added to their lead in the third quarter as Newton rushed for a four-yard touchdown (his 9th rushing TD of the season) followed by Folk's PAT. Speaking of Nick, he was called on for a chip shot (20 yard field goal) after Newton bounced a pass to Meyers that should have been a touchdown. Still, the Patriots were up by two touchdowns (23-10) which was a bit of a shock considering that they entered as a seven-point underdog. Lamar's best throw of the game was unquestionably his 18-yard dart to Snead with eight seconds left in the quarter. After Tucker's point after kick, that was as close as Baltimore would get as New England sacked Jackson twice (by John Simon and rookie Josh Uche) while rookie safety Kyle Duggar (12 tackles, 7 solo, 1/2 tackle for a loss) had his best game as a pro. Undrafted second-year linebacker Terez Hall (10 tackles, 8 solo) played well-whoever that is-while Chase Winovich (7 tackles, 6 solo) continues to dig himself out of Bill Belichick's dog house.

    As I've said before, absolutely nothing is guaranteed for this Patriots team but for once, they will be favored next Sunday (1, CBS) as they visit the awful Texans (2-7 overall, 1-3 home). Quarterback Deshaun Watson is stuck with that loser team while old friend Romeo Crennel is the interim head coach after Bill O'Brien was mercifully fired earlier this season. It is gross to say out loud but simply getting back to .500 (5-5) would be a real nice accomplishment for the Pats after their season looked completely doomed. If nothing else, they are giving us a good reason to watch them while the days get shorter and the weather continues to go downhill toward winter. Thankfully, it looks like we can at least have a football season after all and in 2020, we'll take it!

Down 27-17 After 3 Quarters, The Pats Squeaked One Out Against the Soon-To-Be 0-16 Jets, 30-27

 

    I have to admit, for a game that pitted two mostly wretched teams who entered with a combined record of 2-13, tonight's special edition of Dollar Store Monday Night Football was way more entertaining than it should have been. In the end, there was actually a winner (no overtime needed!) when Nick Folk hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired for a dare I say ironically thrilling 30-27 win by the Patriots (3-5 overall, 1-3 away) vs. the Tank for Trevor Lawrence Jets (0-9 overall, 0-5 home). For Pats fans, it served as a painful exercise that showed just how hard it is to win a single game in the NFL, even against the league's worst team. This snapped a four-game losing streak for New England while also extending their win streak vs. New York to nine games. It is the first time in Jets franchise history that they have started a campaign 0-9 and they now have a bye week before their last seven games. PS Week 17 is at Gillette Stadium vs. the Pats. Haha imagine the possibilities for that must-see turd sandwich!

    After failing in all three previous chances this season (at Seattle, vs. Denver and last week in Buffalo) to put together a game-winning drive, Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (27-of-35 for 274 yards; 2 rushing TDs) was finally able to make it happen. Any other opponent would have put this to bed since the Jets led by 10 points not only at halftime (20-10) but also after three quarters (27-17). Luckily for Pats head coach Bill Belichick, Adam Gase somehow is still the Jets head coach and his truly miserable team managed to run four total plays in the final 15 minutes, good for three yards and 1:24 on the clock. Did I mention that Sam Darnold was out with a shoulder injury so former Ravens great and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco (18-of-25 for 262 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) was left to shred the Pats secondary for most of the night?

    2020 continues to be the scariest and strangest year of our collective lives so naturally we are all here to witness Jakobi Meyers (12 catches, 169 yards on 14 targets) become the promising young wide receiver that New England has lacked for years. On his 24th birthday no less, the former NC State quarterback had his third solid outing in a row culminating in the best performance of his brief NFL career. Damiere Byrd (5 catches, 65 yards on 9 targets) also made some plays in the passing game including a clutch 31-yard catch-and-run which led to Newton's one-yard touchdown run that coupled with Folk's PAT tied it at 27 with 1:57 left in regulation.

    The Patriots' running game was a positive as well with Damien Harris (14 carries, 71 yards) showing some more nice burst before he left late with a chest injury after absorbing a big hit. Rex Burkhead (12 carries, 56 yards, TD) kept finding holes as well when he got the ball. Another former Raven-wide receiver Breshad Perriman (5 catches, 101 yards, 2 TDs on 7 targets)-toyed with J.C. Jackson for much of the evening but thankfully, the Pats cornerback had the last laugh as he picked off Flacco's stupid deep ball that led to Newton's tying touchdown run. He now leads the NFL with five interceptions and in the process, he set a Patriots record by notching a pick in four straight contests. For the first time as a Patriot, Newton was not sacked and Deatrich Wise Jr. (4 tackles, 2 assists) had New England's lone sack which was very timely: on the second play of New York's last drive that turned out to be a 3-and-out which stupidly stopped the clock and saved a timeout for the Pats. 

    Not surprisingly given the halftime score, the Jets led for most of the game before the fourth quarter. Sergio Castillo hit a 35-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring before Newton had a five-yard touchdown run later in the frame. Believe it or not, that was the first touchdown for the Patriots in any first quarter this season. Oof. The second quarter was much more of a Jets affair as Perriman caught a 50-yard bomb against Jackson for a 10-7 lead. Castillo added a 50-yard field goal, answered by Folk's 45-yard kick with 1:03 left in the first half. Going into the break down 13-10 wouldn't have been that awful all things considered (shoutout to NPR) but that wasn't enough of a deficit for the Pats. Nope, instead they allowed a touchdown drive that went 77 yards in two plays. Flacco hit rookie Denzel Mims (4 catches, 62 yards on 8 targets) with a 15-yard pass before Jason McCourty was called for pass interference on Perriman that went for 42 yards. On the next play, Flacco threw his best pass in years as Jamison Crowder used great footwork to drag both feet in the end zone before his momentum took him out of bounds. Initially it was called incomplete but then it was rightfully overturned on replay for a 20-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half. 

    New England got the ball to start the third quarter and they had an awesome drive that took more than half (7:33) of the frame. They went 78 yards in 13 plays culminating in a one-yard touchdown plunge by Burkhead. Unfortunately, New York wasn't fazed by it as they responded with a nearly identical drive of their own (11 plays for 75 yards in 6:57). Their touchdown came on a 15-yard catch by Perriman after Jackson had slipped And-1 Mixtape style (remember those?!). With any sliver of hope for a playoff spot fading away in Tony Soprano Land aka North Jersey, the Patriots finally woke up and outscored the Jets 13-0 in the fourth quarter. All of their points actually came in the final 6:04 of regulation: Folk hit a 29-yard field goal, Newton powered his way in for the one-yard score and then Folk crushed his most important kick in years. 

    Nothing about this victory for New England was easy but needless to say, they will have to play infinitely better on Sunday night (8:20, NBC) to have any chance to begin their first win streak of the season as they host superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (6-2 overall, 4-0 away) at Gillette Stadium. Miami (5-3) looks like a playoff team and they are two games ahead of the Patriots in the AFC East while the Bills (7-2) are setting the pace with their best start since 1993. I despise cliches but it really is a game-by-game type of focus for the Pats who aren't nearly talented enough to assume anything (for example: witness tonight where they came in as a 9.5-point favorite). Losing always sucks and multiply that during a pandemic where every low seems like it'll never end. Not to get too cheesy but it was refreshing to see the players and coaches on New England look genuinely happy and excited after this win. We all have been dealing with plenty of serious issues more important than football since mid-March but imagine on top of that, everyone in the region and around the country was also dumping on you non-stop for failing at your job. Good times!

It's Clear That In 2020 The Patriots (2-5) Simply Cannot Have Any Nice Things Without Tom Brady

 

    Remember when we thought this NFL year would be a fun debate over who was ultimately more important to the Patriots' dynasty: Tom Brady or Bill Belichick? It's not even halfway through the regular season for New England (2-5 for the 1st time since 2000) but after their heartbreaking 24-21 loss this afternoon against the Bills (6-2) at New Era Field, we can conclude that while Belichick is the greatest head coach in league history, he wouldn't have been anything close to that without Brady who has the Bucs (5-2) sitting pretty with an easy win on the docket tomorrow night at the Giants (1-6). This was the fourth straight loss for the Pats (for the 1st time since 2002) and unquestionably the worst given the stakes: there was a path to climb back into the playoff race if they could beat the AFC East leader. Instead, now you wonder what their plan is for Tuesday's trade deadline (4 pm) and then for the rest of the cursed 2020 campaign. 

    In the good old days, this had all the makings of a contest that the Patriots come out on top of based mostly on its opponent falling apart in key moments. Instead, already in field goal range (that would have sent it to overtime) Cam Newton (15-of-25 for 174 yards; 54 yards rushing, TD) fumbled after a hit by something called Justin Zimmer with another nobody (Dean Marlowe) recovering it at the Bills' 13-yard line. Game over. New England's dominance vs. Buffalo was renowned when Brady was here, in fact this marked the first time the Bills had beaten the Patriots at home (!) since 2011. Expect many other stats and streaks like that to continue to fall for the Pats over their final nine games.

    With their best defensive player (cornerback Stephon Gilmore) and their best offensive player (wide receiver Julian Edelman) both out with various injuries, the Pats did a more than admirable job hanging in there with a pair of second-year players-running back Damien Harris (16 carries, 102 yards, TD) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (6 catches, 58 yards on 10 targets) giving them the biggest boosts while also bringing up the question of why weren't they getting more touches earlier this season while the offense continued to flat-line? Moreover, while his lack of arm strength is still very scary, Newton at least was making plays consistently for the first time since he contracted Covid-19. He outplayed Bills quarterback Josh Allen (11-of-18 for 154 yards, INT; 23 yards rushing, TD) who continues to regress since his strong start to his third pro season. 

    Like the Pats, Buffalo got most of its offense done on the ground-Massachusetts high school style (you know when that was still a thing pre-Covid). Devin Singletary (14 carries, 86 yards) and rookie Zach Moss (14 carries, 81 yards) had nearly identical numbers save for the fact that Moss found the end zone twice for his first two scores in the NFL. The Bills made the most of having Stefon Diggs (6 catches, 92 yards on 9 targets) on their team as he looks every bit the part of one of the best receivers in the league. New England never led in the entire game so I guess it would have felt a bit like stealing if they had somehow won. Allen did his part to keep it close by throwing an awful interception right to Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson and rookie receiver Gabriel Davis dropped a sure-touchdown on Buffalo's final drive. 

    I get that he has limited options right now but I doubt that you will be hearing Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' name mentioned anytime soon for another crack at a head coaching job in the league. Like Bill, many of his warts are being exposed without TB12 to gloss over them with his insane skills and brilliant football mind. New England's offense took awhile to get going as Moss' eight-yard touchdown run was the only score of the first quarter. Patriots kicker Nick Folk accounted for all the points in the second quarter on a 43-yard kick and a 33-yard kick (when the Pats didn't even dare to try and call one more play from the red zone before halftime). 

    Moss added a four-yard touchdown on Buffalo's first drive of the third quarter but Harris answered with an impressive 22-yard touchdown run (his first NFL TD) of his own late in the frame. The Pats tied it up at 14 and grabbed the momentum thanks to Newton's two-point conversion pass to Meyers. Allen's two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was mirrored by Cam's two-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive. Rookie Tyler Bass' 28-yard field goal turned out to be the winning-play for the Bills after Gabriel's drop. No surprise, you could see Newton's visible frustration while he sat on the bench after he gave the game away. You have to feel for a guy that at one time was an NFL MVP, it has to be brutal to see your skills erode to this sad point.

    I never thought I would say this but for as long as I can remember, this is the first Patriots season that I hardly care much about. I think that's due to a combination of factors: the pandemic has shown how trivial many things in life can be plus watching the Pats lose week after week admittedly takes much of the enjoyment out of the whole process. I know, I know, we were so incredibly spoiled for almost 20 years. To use a modern analogy, this is the equivalent of breaking up with or no longer being friends with someone then seeing them on social media supposedly thriving with another person. After cheaping out on weapons for Brady the past few years and due to his many turd-filled draft classes, it seems like Belichick the GM is getting what he deserves. On the other side, TB12 is 43 on one of the great losers in pro sports and yet he's already created a huge culture change playing for a dopey head coach (Bruce Arians) who at least had the knowledge to surround his star with tons of great players. 

    At this point, the Pats would probably have to go at least 7-2 down the stretch to have a realistic shot at making the NFL playoffs. Is there any chance you can see that as a remote possibility for this woefully thin roster? Yeah, me neither. They are doubly screwed too because they still have to play the Jets (0-8) twice and New York is halfway to a winless season for the sole purpose of having the No. 1 overall pick and presumably drafting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Additionally, it's tough to picture Belichick or many of the veteran Patriots shamefully tanking at any time no matter how bleak the outlook appears to be. For some unknown reason, ESPN booked Pats-Jets for Monday Night Football (8:15) next week at Metlife Stadium. Even before the season began, who was dumb enough to think that meeting would have any juice? You might hate me for saying this but I'd almost root for New England to lose that one but with the way this year has gone, I know they would undoubtedly screw that up too. Oy, the weather this weekend felt like winter and without the NBA and NHL seasons likely starting again until 2021, we need something to watch sportswise until then. Unfortunately, in that way and countless others, the Patriots just aren't getting the job done anymore when we could truly use them the most.

      

    

    

The Pats (2-4) Are Nearly Hopeless & I Don't Know How It Is Going To Get Much Better This Season

 

    In the middle of a pandemic, without Tom Brady for the first time in 19 years not to mention a bunch of other key players that chose to opt out, our expectations for the Patriots (2-4) were not all that high to begin with. Through the first three games (2-1), New England looked like they would at least be a playoff team albeit not much of a Super Bowl threat. That all has taken a drastic turn for the worst in the last month as they have dropped three straight games (for the 1st time since 2002) capped off by tonight's truly disgraceful 33-6 loss at Gillette Stadium to Jimmy Garoppolo (20-of-25 for 277 yards, 2 INTs) and San Francisco (4-3). Of course the Pats have suffered their share of heartbreaking losses over the years-these things happen when you are in the playoffs so often-but I have to say that this one hit differently as they say. Coming off last week's awful 18-12 loss to Denver (2-4), you figured that they would at least show some sort of pride and be competitive. NOPE.  

    Where do we begin on this disaster that was the second-worst loss ever under head coach Bill Belichick and the worst at home since he took over in 2000? This also marked the first time that the Pats have dropped back-to-back home games since 2002. The fact that this came on the same day that the Bucs (5-2) destroyed the Raiders (3-3) in Vegas 45-20 and Tom Brady (33-of-45 for 369 yards and 4 TDs; 1 rushing TD) had a monster performance made everything that much more depressing. It's too easy to dump all the blame on Cam Newton (9-of-15 for 98 yards, 3 INTs; 19 yards rushing) since honestly, what does he have around him? A washed up Julian Edelman (1 catch for 13 yards on 3 targets), N'Keal Harry (1 catch for 6 yards on 2 targets) who left in the first half with a possible concussion and no legitimate tight ends? However, Cam's dreadful numbers the last few weeks don't lie as he's thrown five interceptions combined against the Broncos and Niners. Things got so bad today that backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham (6-of-10 for 64 yards, INT) came in for him at the start of the fourth quarter but that did nothing to change things as Stidham hasn't shown any real potential in his two outings this season besides that sweet TD pass to Harry in Kansas City. 

    This was never even close: the Niners were up 7-0 after the first quarter, 23-3 at halftime and 30-6 after the third quarter. San Francisco battled through a Super Bowl hangover earlier this season and a crazy amount of injuries to quality players (Richard Sherman, Raheem Mostert, Nick Bosa, etc) but they are rounding into form now thanks to contributions from tons of random guys like third-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (17 catches, 112 yards, 3 TDs) who dominated until shredding his ankle on his last touchdown run in the third quarter. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (game-high 6 catches, game-high 115 yards) looks like a good one, Deebo Samuel (5 catches, 65 yards) is a playmaker and George Kittle (5 catches, 55 yards) is the best all-around tight end in the NFL and it's not really up for debate. 

    A pair of field goals by Nick Folk were the only thing separating the Patriots from the indignity of getting shut out on their home turf. Other than Damien Harris (10 carries, 58 yards; 12-yard catch) and Jakobi Meyers (4 catches, 60 yards), I couldn't tell you any other Patriots that had decent games offensively. Devin McCourty and J.C. Jackson notched the interceptions of Garoppolo-San Francisco's only real mistakes all day. The whole entire game was basically an extended kick to the nuts with Robbie Gould hitting two field goals and Harvard alum Kyle Juszczyk (the best fullback in the league) running for a four-yard touchdown to fill out the Niners' box score.

    We all believed that this was basically a must-win for New England but I can now say with certainty that next Sunday (1, CBS) in Buffalo (5-2) is no doubt a must-win for the Pats. The usual AFC East title already looks well out of their grasp and while the Bills have struggled lately-gutting out a gross 18-10 win today vs. the winless Jets-they are the unquestionably the team to beat in the division. Hell, the Dolphins (3-3) were off this week but they are trending up since the Patriots beat them in Week 1 which feels like a lifetime ago. Belichick already dubbed Newton his starter for the first meeting with the Bills in 2020 and I don't blame him for that. However, the timing of the matchup is quite relevant because the NFL trade deadline is two days later-November 3rd (aka Election Day). If Buffalo beats New England, Belichick will have no choice but to look ahead to next season and unload anyone on the roster (Joe Thuney and Stephon Gilmore!) that could bring back some talent or decent draft picks in return. Winter is just around the corner and it promises to be extra miserable if the Patriots officially become just another anonymous doormat in the AFC.

UPDATE 10/26/20: This isn't headline news but Patriots linebacker/special teamer Brandon Copeland tore a pectoral muscle in yesterday's game and now he's out for the season.

The Unthinkable Happens: The Patriots Get Outplayed All Game & Lose 18-12 To The Broncos

 

    I'll admit that in the last few weeks leading up to this matchup that was delayed twice before finally taking place today that I never took the Broncos (2-3) seriously. Shame on me since Denver came to Gillette Stadium this afternoon and led from start to finish in an incredibly ugly 18-12 (which is typically a final score from a gross Massachusetts high school football game!) victory. This debacle will be remembered as one of the worst performances of the Bill Belichick era and it was extra painful because it came on the same day that Tom Brady and the Bucs (4-2) destroyed the Packers (4-1) 38-10 and Jimmy Garropolo and the Niners (3-3) held off the Rams (4-2) 24-16. I refuse to cite New England's lack of practices lately as an excuse since not only was Denver playing under the same crappy circumstances but they also had to fly across the country during a pandemic and without two of their best offensive players (tight end Noah Fant and running back Melvin Gordon). 

    At age 23 Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (10-of-24 for 189 yards) became the youngest QB ever to beat Belichick which is a bit misleading since he did everything in his power (including throwing two awful interceptions in the 4th quarter) to let the Pats back in it but they fittingly couldn't complete the improbable comeback as Cam Newton (17-of-25 for 157 yards, 2 INTs; 76 yards rushing, TD) was pressured and misfired to N'Keal Harry (0 catches on 2 targets) on 4th-and-10 from the Denver 24-yard-line with 59 seconds left in regulation. New England's offensive line is a mess between injuries and positive Covid-19 tests so it's no wonder that the Broncos sacked Newton four times as they constantly pressured him all game long. 

    It's tough to win a football game at any level without scoring a single touchdown yet that's just what the Broncos did. Their kicker Brandon McManus received a huge contract extension right before this season started and I'd say that was money well spent since he went a perfect 6-for-6 today including a 52-yard field goal and a 54-yard field goal. The Patriots' lack of weapons really hurt them as once again, when Cam gets bottled up, they don't have any other options to count on. It was a strange day all around as Julian Edelman went 2-of-2 for 38 yards passing the ball in the fourth quarter which was much better than his invisible outing as a wideout (2 catches on 8 targets for 8 yards). Newton was the only Patriot that could run the ball and truth be told, exactly half of his yardage came on a single 38-yard carry. Likewise, James White (8 catches, 65 yards) was their only guy that could get anything done in the passing game.

    Both teams were under 300 total yards but at least the Broncos had a pair of players-running back Phillip Lindsay (23 carries, 101 yards) and wide receiver Tim Patrick (4 catches, 101 yards)-who each went over 100 yards. Denver's red zone offense was atrocious and its lack of execution was the main reason that the Patriots were able make it somewhat interesting at the end. McManus had a pair of field goals in the first quarter then two more in the second quarter sandwiched around New England's first points (a 41-yard kick by Nick Folk) for a 12-3 halftime lead for the visitors. Things didn't get better in the third quarter for the Pats as Izzo summed up the miserable day when he fumbled after a 16-yard catch and run. Needless to say that with the NFL trade deadline coming up on November 3rd, New England could use a bunch of things: tight end, wide receiver, offensive lineman, linebacker, defensive lineman, etc.

    Newton had the only touchdown of the game, a 1-yard sneak midway through the fourth quarter that cut it to 18-9 before he was stopped trying to run it in for a two-point conversion. The Pats defense gave their team a chance as J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones picked off Lock on back-to-back possessions. Folk's 38-yard field goal provided the final points of the game. A sign of these bizarre times: the last time that New England was under .500 this far into a season was way back in 2002. The Bills (4-1) host the Chiefs (4-1) tomorrow night (5, ESPN) and the Dolphins (3-3) blanked the Jets (0-6) aka the worst team in the the league 24-0 this afternoon so the Patriots are currently in third-place in the AFC East. 

    It won't get any easier as the NFC champion 49ers (3-3) come to Gillette next Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS). San Francisco had been a bit of a mess but they picked up an impressive 24-16 win vs. the Rams (4-2) tonight in Sunday Night Football and Garropolo (23-of-33 for 268 yards, 3 TDs) looked great after he was pulled in last week's loss. Niners tight end George Kittle (7 catches, 109 yards, TD today) is a matchup nightmare and the best in the league at his position so good luck stopping that monster. This is not a very talented roster so Belichick along with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo have their work cut out for them to turn this group of spare parts into a playoff team. Still, they should never be this bad no matter who opted out of this season, how many injuries or Covid-19 cases they get nor if their practice schedule gets completely out of whack.

The Patriots Actually Hung Around With The Chiefs Way Longer Than Expected But Still Lost 26-10

 

    Once word came over on Saturday morning that Cam Newton had Covid-19 and he would miss the much-anticipated early season showdown against the Chiefs (4-0), a tall task turned into an impossible one. Let's be clear here: nobody in the world expected the Patriots (2-2) to compete with the defending Super Bowl champions so I suppose they should be proud of their effort under really tough circumstances: no Newton, the game moved to Monday night and they flew to KC this morning. Still, the NFL is not a participation trophy type of league and football isn't that kind of sport for that matter so the bottom line is that the Chiefs won 26-10 this evening at Arrowhead Stadium. 

    Brian Hoyer (15-of-24 for 130 yards, 1 INT, 59.4 QB rating) got the fluke start for the Pats but he didn't finish the outing as Jarrett Stidham (5-of-13 for 60 yards, 1st NFL TD pass, 2 INTs, 39.4 QB rating) took over in the third quarter and went the rest of the way. If Cam didn't have the Coronavirus, Hoyer honestly could be cut tomorrow and I don't think anyone would bat an eye. He came in with 10 straight losses in games that he'd started so it makes you wonder, how is he still in the NFL?  This should have been Stidham's first career NFL start but after a rough training camp complete with a mysterious hip injury, he was relegated to third-string quarterback duties-inactive the first three weeks. Thanks to the game getting pushed back a day, it will be a short week for the Patriots as they host the Broncos (1-3) on Sunday afternoon (4:25, CBS) and if Newton remains out, I'm calling it now: Stidham should/will start in his place. 

    The Patriots defense deserved better since they held one of the most explosive offenses in the league to just 19 points (KC's other touchdown was a pick-6 by Tyrann Mathieu) on their home turf with some fans (22%) in the stands. The best quarterback in the universe Patrick Mahomes (19-for-29, 236 yards, 2 TDs, 113.6 QB rating) looked mortal since both of his "touchdown passes" were 6-yard fancy handoffs to Tyreek Hill (4 catches, 64 yards) and Mecole Hardman. Kansas City's star tight end Travis Kelce (3 catches, 70 yards) still has never recorded 100+ receiving yards vs. the Patriots which is amazing and New England held explosive rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to under 100 total yards (64 rushing, 27 receiving). The Pats lost from self-inflicted wounds that resulted in three more turnovers (4-1).

    There were three plays in particular that will give Pats head coach Bill Belichick nightmares for weeks: a possible Mahomes fumble in the second quarter was incorrectly whistled dead for a sack, Hoyer got sacked on the last play of the first half which blew a chance at a tying field goal for New England and Stidham's pick-6 clanged off of Julian Edelman's (3 catches on 6 targets for 35 yards) usually money hands. It was such a bizarre set of circumstances leading up to this postponed contest so I feel like once the Chiefs saw that Cam was out, they figured this was a lock and who could blame them? That's why I wouldn't take too much out of this result which was closer than the final score would indicate. 

    There were some positives for the Patriots, thankfully the trip was not a complete waste of their collective time (haha easy for me to say sitting in the comfort of my own living room while I write this). Their red zone defense was great in the first half as they held Kansas City to a pair of Harrison Butker field goals (from 23 yards and 39 yards) and they forced a fumble by Sammy Watkins that was recovered by J.C. Jackson (who later should have had an interception). You knew that to have any chance to be competitive, they needed to run the ball well and they piled up nearly 200 rushing yards: with Sony Michel placed on IR (quad) earlier in the day, Damien Harris (17 carries, 100 yards) had his first career 100-yard performance in the NFL and James White (38 yards receiving and 21 yards rushing) returned to action after missing the last two games following his father's tragic death in a car accident. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd (5 catches, 80 yards) had his second solid game as a Patriot and Chase Winovich (2 solo tackles, 2 assists) notched a sack for the third straight game. 

    The Patriots got on the board with a 43-yard field goal by Nick Folk in the second quarter. It should have been at least tied 6-6 at halftime but Hoyer gonna Hoyer. With that in mind, he blew another rare red zone opportunity for the Pats by fumbling away the ball in the third quarter which led to Belichick finally benching him. Kansas City took advantage by turning that mistake into seven points on Hill's touchdown late in the third quarter which gave the home team a 13-3 lead. We saw a brief glimpse of what got all the beat writers in a lather about Stidham this summer when he tossed a perfect 4-yard fade in the corner of the end zone to N'Keal Harry. The Chiefs answered that score with a touchdown of their own-Hardman's-but Butker missed the PAT so it was 19-10. It was game over one play later though as Mathieu took Edelman's baffling drop 25 yards for the clinching touchdown. 

    It is useless predicting anything in 2020 but I can guarantee that this week leading up to what should be a layup against the terrible Broncos will be full of intrigue over A) Cam's availability or B) who will start if he remains sidelined. Denver just got their first win of the season on Thursday night 37-28 at the hapless Jets (0-4). They've had plenty of quarterback issues of their own as starter Drew Lock is out with a shoulder injury, backup Jeff Driskel already got the hook and third-string undrafted rookie Brett Rypien of course was the one to start and beat the Jets. Linebacker Von Miller and wide receiver Courtland Sutton-their two best players-are out for the season with injuries and their head coach is the immortal Vic Fangio. Week 6 is New England's bye week so given the weak opponent and with time to regroup on the horizon, this is a game they have to win no matter which quarterback gets the nod. Plus not for nothing but Buffalo (4-0) is two games up on second-place New England as the Patriots bid for their 12th straight AFC East title looks to be a legitimate battle for once.