It has been a long time since the New England Patriots have been in this scenario. Honestly, I don’t even remember the last time the Patriots were in this position during any point in the past 17 years. As a result of last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Sunday night’s 26-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Patriots are facing a must-win situation next Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins. I’m not going to hit the panic button in New England, but I am really close to doing so.
The New Englands Patriots Must Win In Week Four
How Did We Get Here?
Patriots nation is currently like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. We are all sitting around wondering how we got here just like Dorothy and Toto looking at the Yellow Brick Road. The only difference is that we are searching for our own road. After week one, the Patriots looked to be a much-improved football team than the one that ended last season. During the last two weeks, the Patriots have looked terrible on both sides of the ball.
The Patriots defense has not been able to get any pressure on the quarterback so far this season. This was the team’s fatal flaw during the 2017 season. As a result, Blake Bortles and Matthew Stafford have been able to stand in the pocket and deliver throw after throw. The Patriots secondary hasn’t been great either. They have had a number of blown coverages that have led to big gains for the opposing defense.
The Patriots offense is also struggling. This team misses Julian Edelman and isn’t ready to insert Josh Gordon into the offense yet. The absence of these two, mostly Edelman, has forced Phillip Dorsett and Chris Hogan to step up. In my opinion, they have not done that. Rob Gronkowski is being double covered heavily each week. This should make it easier for Dorsett and Hogan to get open on plays to move the ball down the field. The inability to capitalize has made life hard on the offensive line to block for a long period of time which makes it harder for Tom Brady to get the ball out quickly. The overall lack of performance as put the team in this situation heading into week four.
Why This Is A Must Win Game
The current AFC East Standings are as follows:
Miami Dolphins 3-0
New England Patriots 1-2
New York Jets 1-2
Buffalo Bills 1-2
This definitely is not normal. The Patriots are currently in a three-way tie for second place in the AFC East. They are two games back of the division-leading Dolphins. The Dolphins are undefeated, but it isn’t a pretty 3-0. If the Patriots play to their potential, they will win. If not the Patriots will dig a deeper hole. With a loss, the Patriots fall to three games back and possibly fall even further back with wins by the Jets and Bills. That is why it is so important that the Patriots win this game.
The Patriots still have games against the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears. If the Patriots were to lose a few of these games it will make the road even tougher to win the division. If they beat the Dolphins, the Patriots will soften a potential blow in the future. A win also goes a long way towards getting an advantage in tiebreakers in case of a close division battle at the end of the season. A win goes a long way on Sunday, but a loss could be a brutal blow down the road. I can’t stress this enough, this game is huge.
Last Word on Patriots vs Dolphins
On paper, the Patriots should win this game. They have a better offense and overall more talent than the Dolphins. The Patriots need to win this game. If not major repercussions could be possibly felt at the end of the regular season. A win gets the Patriots closer to the top of the AFC East. A loss buries the team even further down in the standings. The overall play and lack of intensity have gotten them into this hole. It will be up to the team to write the ship and figure this thing out. It’s not time to hit the panic button, but it could be getting close.
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