It’s no secret that after nearly two decades of being arguably one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of professional sports, the New England Patriots have spent the past four years thumbing their way back to relevance since the departure of their legendary quarterback, Tom Brady.
In my lifetime, the New England Patriots have given me four Super Bowl championships, seven Super Bowl appearances, and countless memories that come with nearly twenty years of sustained success. At the forefront was Bill Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl champion, winning six as the head coach of the Patriots and two as an assistant for Bill Parcells with the New York Giants.
Throughout his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick has made franchise-altering moves that defined his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in all sports. The controversial decision to play a second-year backup, Tom Brady, over returning starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, fresh off of inking a ten-year, $103 million contract in the offseason, paid dividends for Belichick in the long run as the duo would go on to win six Super Bowls together.
But recently, Belichick has come under fire for the lack of success the Patriots have had since Brady left after the 2019 season. In the 62 games played since the departure of the quarterback, the Patriots sit at a mediocre 27-35 in games dating back to the start of the 2020 season.
2020 can be excused. With Brady off to Tampa Bay, the Patriots had no real plan at the quarterback position. They settled for a temporary fix, signing veteran free-agent quarterback Cam Newton to get them through the year. Despite missing the playoffs for the first time in twelve years and having minimal talent on the offensive side of the ball, the Patriots still won seven games and were in contention for a playoff spot until the last few weeks of the season. If COVID-19 hadn’t decimated the team, they could have won a few more games.
The 2021 campaign was supposed to start a whole new era for the team. With highly drafted rookie quarterback Mac Jones beating out the returning Newton for the starting job and a flurry of moves made in the offseason to help add some talent to the roster, the Patriots endured a slow start to win nine of their first thirteen games. They finished the season 10-7 and played the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs, losing 47-17. Jones made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and the team had much promise going forward.
Then, 2022 happened.
The team as a whole took a massive step back. The Patriots ran a new offense, which backfired on the young quarterback. Jones was injured during a loss to the Ravens in week three and lacked the same confidence when he returned. He was benched several times for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe, who started two games during Jones’s absence.
Despite not being out of playoff contention until the last week of the season, the Patriots limped to the finish line and finished the campaign 8-9.
In this current season, the Patriots sit at 2-10, and they are lucky to be just that. Their only wins were a narrow victory over Zach Wilson and the Jets, a team that looked much better after the Patriots game, and against Josh Allen and the Bills, a game that felt like a total outlier and showcased what the Patriots should have been this season.
So, an important question lingers: what in the world is wrong with this team?
Let’s start with the offense. It’s clear that Mac Jones has not looked like himself so far this season. The thing is, it’s not entirely his fault. His offensive line is a mix of rookies and veterans who have failed to perform as a cohesive unit. Add in injuries to important linemen, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Belichick has failed to acquire talented receivers to surround Mac during crucial years of his development. Most, if not all, of the elite quarterbacks in the league also have a go-to option for critical situations. Patrick Mahomes has Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Joe Burrow has Ja’Marr Chase. Josh Allen has Stefon Diggs. Mac Jones has… Kendrick Bourne? JuJu Smith-Schuster?
Even Brady had guys like Troy Brown, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman that he could depend on in a pinch. The only player the Patriots have had during Jones’s tenure that could resemble that is Jakobi Meyers, whom the Patriots let walk in free agency before the 2023 season.
Another thing that has cost the Patriots massively is the awful draft decisions coming from Bill Belichick. This is nothing new, as these decisions have plagued the Patriots even while Brady was there. In the past five years, the Patriots have drafted running back Sony Michel, offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn, and wide receiver N’Keal Harry in the first round. None of them are still on the team, and Michel is retired.
To his credit, Belichick has been better at drafting defensive players in the early rounds. Safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Josh Uche, both second-round picks in 2020, have panned out and can be playing for big pay-days in the future.
However, for every Dugger and Uche, you have tight ends Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi, both drafted in the third round of the same draft. The pair combined for just five receptions in their Patriots careers.
It’s a problem that has plagued the Patriots for many years but is just now starting to catch up to them. In the past, Brady could make lesser talent work just because of how great he was at getting the ball to them. The Patriots no longer have such a luxury.
The 2023 version of the New England Patriots is nearly unwatchable every week. Every time I think it couldn’t get any worse, it does. I thought they hit rock bottom when they lost to the New York Giants 10-7, but they found a way to one-up that performance the following week with a 6-0 loss at home to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Only time will tell if Belichick can turn things around and lead the Patriots back to the top of the NFL. But the only sure thing is that the Patriots need to address many issues this offseason if they want to even be in the conversation for the playoffs next year.
