New England Patriots lose to Miami Dolphins, start year 0-2: Another sign of changing times?
September 21, 2023
The New England Patriots find themselves in uncharted territory after starting the season with an 0-2 record for the first time since 2001. The worrisome shortcomings of Bill Belichick’s team were evident in a 24-17 loss to the tenacious Miami Dolphins, which still can’t find a way against playoff-caliber opponents.
The six-time Super Bowl champion’s problems are clear. Despite casualties, defense performs well and finds ‘diamond in the rough’ in Christian Gonzalez (PFF rated the 3rd best CB as of Week 2 and the best rookie in the entire league that same week), The offensive continued to make serious mistakes and bury its illusions. The offensive line was noticeably behind on Sunday, with Calvin Anderson having a very poor performance. Mac Jones had little time to throw the ball all night, and he was marred by sacks in the red zone, disciplinary errors and basic mistakes like Demario Douglas’ fumble in the first half in a 17-3 game.
These are promises that classic Bill Belichick teams don’t typically make. However, today it happened. We have to recognize the team’s improvement in the red zone, which last year was the worst in the league and today is tied for fourth in the NFL. However, it still wasn’t enough as the offense became increasingly explosive while New England seemed to be going the opposite way: 4.5 yards per carry on offense, fourth-worst record. It’s true that Mac Jones has improved a lot in situations like opponent blitzes, but he has to take a step forward and play better to give the team more chances to win. With help, of course, from his roster and the still-indebted playmakers themselves.
Miracles don’t work that way.#MIAvsNE #foreverne pic.twitter.com/alrp22JtaZ
— Latino Patriots (0-2) (@patriotslatam) September 18, 2023
The New England Patriots and… changing times?
According to ESPN Analytics, New England has suffered two losses and has only an 8% chance of earning a playoff berth. That’s largely due to their schedule, which is the most difficult of them all, but also due to a trend that has emerged since Tom Brady left: irregularity.
Of the 407 teams that started 0-2, only 57 have won (14%). Of those, only 39 have played in the playoffs and only three have won a Super Bowl.
OK? One of those three teams is none other than the Patriots, who won their first with Vince Lombardi in 2001, albeit with Tom Brady at the helm. It’s clear that times have changed, and New England will have to continue rebuilding alongside division rivals who look better prepared for the future.
