Check out what the experts are saying about the Patriots heading into Week 4.
Any positive vibes the Patriots generated in Week 1, and managed to maintain after a competitive OT loss in Week 2, are gone. Poof! Vanished late Thursday night, somewhere over the New Jersey Meadowlands. What remains is the cold reality of New England being 1-2 as they head into a Week 4 matchup with another 1-2 team, the San Francisco 49ers. So the Pats are not alone in the standings. There are 13 other teams that share the same record, even if not the same trajectory:
Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Colts, Raiders, Broncos, Giants, Cowboys, Bears, Falcons, Panthers, Cardinals, and Rams. —-Even worse are the 0-3 Bengals, Jaguars and Titans.
Starting the year off at 1-2 doesn’t equate to a doomsday sentence in the NFL. A win in Week 4 takes the record to .500 and keeps a team in the hunt. The positive vibes come back. Fans re-engage. The good teams can play sloppily or lose early on but still have the pieces in place to regroup and finish the year strong. The average teams don’t have the same leeway and each win or loss could be the difference between a playoff run or an early out. The bottom feeders will start to pile up the losses as the better teams get rolling.
This week, I’m in the “Hey, at least they’re not 0-3” club. I’m hoping for a competitive game this Sunday. An anything-but-what-we-saw-vs-the-Jets vibe. Like New England, the 49ers are also feeling the brunt of injuries early on, giving the Pats a slightly higher chance for a W than some predicted back in preseason. I’m guessing San Francisco feels the same way and is hoping to use the Patriots to get themselves back on track. I haven’t been beaten into a state of reasonableness yet, so I’m picking the Pats —and mental toughness, for the win on Sunday.
GO PATS!!
Around the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
New York Jets (2-1) vs. Denver Broncos (1-2)
Miami Dolphins (1-2) vs. Tennessee Titans (0-3)
New England Patriots (1-2) at San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
AFC Matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
Houston Texans (2-1) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)
Cleveland Browns (1-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-2)
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25th – Ryan Dunleavy (NY Post). [nc]
26th – Conor Orr (SI): Thoroughly dominated by the Jets, we’ll see if the upstart Patriots of the first two weeks—the ones who upset the Bengals and narrowly lost to the Seahawks in overtime—can return against the wounded 49ers and Dolphins. [+1]
27th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): That victory over the Bengals seems way in the rearview mirror. The offense isn’t very good. How long before it’s Drake Maye time? [-1]
27th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): Jacoby Brissett never had a chance against the Jets, snowed under by the rush seemingly every time he dropped back to pass, so it was surprising in the immediate aftermath of the loss when head coach Jerod Mayo initially punted on the question of whether he would make a QB change. The next day, Mayo made it clear that Brissett was his starter and Drake Maye would remain QB2. The Patriots were fundamentally sound in the Week 1 upset in Cincinnati, and they were at least competitive in the loss to the Seahawks, albeit with more mistakes than this team can afford. But they weren’t competitive in Week 3. Executing the pure basics — blocking and tackling — is absolutely crucial if this team wants to win more games soon. New England catches some breaks, facing the 49ers and Dolphins when they’re really banged up, but it won’t matter unless the Patriots do a much better job with the fundamentals than they did last Thursday. [nc]
28th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): The sooner Drake Maye starts, the better. [-3]
29th – Diante Lee (The Ringer): Current starting quarterback Brissett has taken a beating in the pocket the past two weeks, so it may not be long before the Patriots may have to switch to rookie first-rounder Drake Maye, whether they want to or not. [-2]
29th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Biggest issue on offense: Pass protection. Veteran QB Jacoby Brissett was hit 15 times in a Week 3 loss and has now been hit 30 times this season. He has been sacked nine times as poor communication along the offensive line has led to too many free rushers, and running backs have not always been sturdy in blitz pickup. The Patriots don’t have an elite separator on the outside, so even when Brissett has time to throw, the pressure has gotten to him while he’s waiting for someone to get open. — Mike Reiss. [-4]
29th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots’ real offense has reared its ugly head. They need to swap out Jacoby Brissett for Drake Maye for good soon. [-6]
30th – Dakota Randall (ProFootballNetwork): The Patriots are better than many expected entering the season, and they probably would be 2-1 if they hadn’t allowed a blocked field goal late in the Week 2 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, the bottom fell out in Thursday’s loss to the New York Jets, and New England’s offensive line is next-level terrible. The defense also likely will play the rest of the season without Christian Barmore and Ja’Whaun Bentley. This could get ugly. [-3]
30th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Of all the thankless assignments QB Jacoby Brissett has had over the years, serving as rookie Drake Maye’s human shield has to rank at the bottom. [-2]
30th – Matt Johnson (SportsNaut): If nothing else, Week 3 showed why it’s probably not safe right now for Drake Maye to be the New England Patriots starting quarterback. New England is abysmal up front, having already allowed 41 total pressures, 26 hurries and 8 sacks in three games, per Pro Football Focus. For now, England is just going to let Jacoby Brissett be the sacrificial lamb. Hopefully, at some point this year, the offensive line at least reaches a level where the Patriots won’t be risking Maye’s long-term health. [-4]
30th – Staff (The Score): The Patriots did not look like they play football in the same league – or stratosphere – as the Jets in their 24-3 defeat Thursday. Fans may want Drake Maye, but there are serious concerns about putting him behind an offensive line that has surrendered 11 sacks through three games. [-1]
31st – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): Those who were down on the Patriots coming into the season got confirmation in Week 3. The Patriots looked overwhelmed in every way against the Jets. Now the clock starts ticking on when New England switches to rookie quarterback Drake Maye. [-3]
31st – Consensus (Bleacher Report): Well, we knew it was going to happen sooner or later. That the New England Patriots were likely going to struggle offensively this year. And that at some point, the calls for rookie Drake Maye to start at QB would come. Maye saw his first game action of 2024 in Thursday’s loss to the New York Jets, completing four of eight passes for 22 yards. While addressing the media after the loss, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said he saw some things he liked from Maye—but Jacoby Brissett remains the starter in New England. … More. [-3]
AVG RANK: 28.7 [-2.2]