Patriots Week 3 Recap: New England and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Loss
The New England Patriots looked to keep some momentum coming off a Week 2 win against the New York Jets
It was a day to forget for the New England Patriots as the team fell to 1-2 after a 28-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints Sunday afternoon in Foxboro, Mass.
So, what went wrong? How did we get to this point?
Well, let’s break it down.
The Offense Did not Show up in time in Week 3.
Let’s start with the obvious. The offense obviously did not show up in time in this game, as the first touchdown for the Patriots did not come until the 4th quarter. Before that, it was an absolute hot mess in all phases of the offense.
Offensive Line Woes Continue
It starts with the offensive line, who looked absolutely atrocious in the first half on Sunday. They allowed little to no time for the Rookie QB to get anything off, although, credit to a stingy Saints defense who were able to cover and not allow Jones to get his rhythm till the 4th quarter.
The team was without OL, Trent Brown once again, leaving Justin Herron to fill in his spot. It is the second straight week that the offense has struggled without the big man at the end of the line. Patriots are hoping to have him back for next Sunday’s showdown with Tampa Bay.
A Case of the Drops Ensued at Gillette
Another issue that reared its ugly head in Sunday’s game drops, there were a lot of costly drops, one that actually ended up being a Pick 6 to start the second half that would put the saints up 21-3.
The biggest culprit, Jonnu Smith, had 5, yes 5 drops today. It was a tough day for the veteran tight end who was brought in in the offseason as a reliable option. He will look to bounce back in Week 4. Though a tough Week 3 will most likely still be weighing on his mind.
Questionable Play Calling in a Key Injury in Week 3
It was as I said an absolute “System Failure” on Sunday afternoon, meaning the loss was not on just one group, it was on everyone.
Some of that blame can be placed on Josh McDaniels. Now, it is not all on him. With the way, the offensive line played there wasn’t much he could do. ALTHOUGH, there were some questionable calls in the red zone, the biggest being Brandon Bolden on 3rd & 1 in touchdown territory, and running for a loss. NOT GOOD.
The reason Bolden was in was because of the injury to reliable 3rd down back, James White who was carted off due to a hip injury. (He is now out indefinitely with a Hip Subluxation- Per. Ian Rapoport)
That forced the coaching staff’s hand to go to another veteran running back in Brandon Bolden, was it the right move? In some spots, yes, but in the spots that McDaniels used him Sunday afternoon, no way he should have been used.
Final Offensive Stats for the Patriots in Week 3
Mac Jones Final Line: 30 for 51 with 270 yards, a Touchdown, and 3 Interceptions.
Jakobi Meyers (94) and Kendrick Bourne (96) led the team in receiving yards.
Mac Jones led all rushing with 28 yards, while Damien Harris who could get nothing going garnered only 14 yards.
The Defense Kept the Patriots in the Game in Week 3
A bright side to what was a horrible day all around was the defense. They were led by Matthew Judon who came out with 2.5 sacks on the night.
It was overall a decent day for the Patriots Defense once the second half came around. The first half was a brutal one to watch.
A Patriots Week 3 Wrap Up
It was a tough Sunday all around, let’s call it a “Complete System Failure” something we do not see often. At the end of the day, the Patriots now sit at 1-2 going into next Sunday Night where they face a potential buzzsaw when they host Tampa Bay.
I say it all the time, no one said it was going to be an easy season, and we need to give it a little bit of time for the offense to gel.
Countering that it is unacceptable to come out and fail in all three phases of the game. Another thing, penalties are killing this team. Whether it is kicking the ball out of bounds on a kickoff, a simple False Start, these are things that cannot happen.
One thing is for sure, if the Patriots want any chance next Sunday night against the Buccaneers, they are going to need to play a hell of a lot better than they did this past Sunday Night.
-Jeff Hoak (@JeffHoak1)
Feature image courtesy of Getty Images
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