The New England Patriots, for the first time in a very long time, are coming off back-to-back losses. For the first time since 2012, the Patriots sit at 1-2 and there are some serious problems with this team. After ugly losses like this, hot takes tend to fly all over the internet, culminating in what is commonly referred to as “overreaction Monday”. While there are significant flaws with this team which need to be addressed, there’s still plenty of hope for this New England team.
Overreaction Monday: Coping With the New England Patriots 26-10 Loss
Everyone Was Hurt
The Patriots couldn’t move the ball offensively while the defense couldn’t stop the Lions to save their lives. This is obviously a bad thing, but it’s not quite as bad as it looks. Defensively, the Patriots were missing two of their best defensive players. Trey Flowers is easily the Patriots best edge defender, while Patrick Chung is probably the best at covering running backs out of the backfield.
Detroit’s Kerryon Johnson finished the game with 101 rushing yards, becoming the first Lions running back to eclipse the century mark since Reggie Bush back in 2013. However, it’s hard to imagine that performance happens if New England has Chung and Flowers in the fold.
Likewise, the offense played without their two best receivers. Julian Edelman is suspended for the first four weeks of the season, while the ultra-talented Josh Gordon sat out this game as a precaution. While Edelman will still miss one more game, Gordon should make his Patriots debut in Week Four.
Gordon’s reportedly picking up the playbook quickly, and the system Cleveland ran is similar to the Patriots offense. He should be a part of the gameplan as soon as he’s healthy enough to play. That said, even if he never picks up the playbook, his presence alone opens up the offense.
As of this moment, the Patriots don’t have a single wide receiver defenses need to worry about. Opposing teams can shade all their coverage at Gronkowski knowing that Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarrelle Patterson cannot beat single coverage. Gordon can, so Gronkowski will start to see more isolated looks.
The offense will only open up more with the return of Julian Edelman. Edelman has been Brady’s go-to weapon since 2013, and the two should pick up right where they left off. Despite tearing his ACL in the 2017 preseason, Edelman looked good during the 2018 preseason. Edelman has the ability to get open on every level of the field and has perfect chemistry with Brady. Once he, Gordon, and Gronkowski are on the field together, this offense goes from having just one big playmaker to having three.
They’re Still Learning Their Roles
While the Patriots team has looked lost at times over the past three weeks, it’s mainly because they’re still learning what they are and are not good at. Back in 2016, Bill Belichick said that the Patriots won’t “really know” how good the team is until mid-October. While he was speaking in regards to the 2016 Patriots, that philosophy still reigns true today.
As this Patriots team continues to grow, players will start seeing roles better suited for them. Take, for instance, the edge position. Over three weeks, Deatrich Wise has drastically outperformed Adrian Clayborn, yet Clayborn and Wise played the same amount of snaps against the Detroit Lions (31).
This should change moving forward. Wise is the better pass rusher and is more consistent against the run. As the season progresses, look for Wise to take over the starting spot even when Trey Flowers returns. Clayborn should be moved to a situational pass rusher, only seeing the field on clear passing downs.
In a similar vein, the Patriots don’t know what they have in Dont’a Hightower. Hightower has looked slow on the field all season long and has been something of a liability on this defense. If Hightower just needs to shake off the rust after missing the majority of 2017, his performance will improve with time.
If, however, Hightower has truly lost a part of what made him special, New England will adjust his role. Hightower can still play in a Brandon Spikes-esque role in the middle of the field. If his speed truly is gone forever, look for Kyle Van Noy and Ja’Whaun Bentley to play on the perimeter while Hightower shores up the interior run defense.
It’s September
It would be one thing if the Patriots were dropping double-digit losses in December. However, it’s only September, and the Patriots are always at their worst early in the season. This sort of thing happens on a fairly regular basis and the Patriots always figure it out.
Just last year, the Patriots started the season 2-2, including a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. That team only lost one game during the regular season, making it all the way to the Super Bowl. Back in 2014, the Patriots also started 2-2 while getting blown out on national television to the Kansas City Chiefs. That 41-14 loss signaled the end of the dynasty to some, with Trent Dilfer going on national television to say that the New England Patriots aren’t “good anymore”. New England went on to win the Super Bowl that year.
The last time the Patriots found themselves 1-2 was back in 2012. Aaron Hernandez injured his ankle, Wes Welker was being phased out of the offense, and a defense starting Ras-I Dowling, Steve Gregory, and Tavon Wilson in the secondary couldn’t hold a lead to save its’ life.
Despite the rough start, the Patriots adjusted to their surrounding talent. New England shored up the secondary by trading for Aqib Talib and moving Devin McCourty to safety. Wes Welker went back to being the focal point of the offense, and the Patriots finished their season 12-4. New England made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
Last Word on Overreaction Monday
All this is one long way of saying that this isn’t the first time the Patriots have been down this road. The 2018 Patriots have major flaws to fix over the course of the season. That said, no team is perfect after Week Three, and the Patriots have plenty of time to right the ship.
The Patriots will naturally improve when players like Trey Flowers, Patrick Chung, Josh Gordon, and Julian Edelman return to the lineup. Additionally, as the season goes on, the coaching staff will learn how to best utilize their players, which will also improve the team. Even if the Patriots don’t have answers on their current roster, Bill Belichick has never shied away from a midseason free agent signing or trade.
It’s been a rough start, but history shows that the Patriots tend to figure it out. Whether it was bouncing back from 2-2 starts in 2017 and 2014 or overcoming a similar 1-2 start in 2012, the New England Patriots have always managed to improve as the season goes on. This year should be no different.
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