Can the Patriots’ Season Be Saved?
This team has two chances to pull out of this tailspin—slim and none—and Slim just left town…
The New England Patriots continue to make NFL news as the league’s laughingstock after dropping a 15-10 decision to the Dolphins and now own a 1-4 record, which will get worse as the season wears on.
Island of Misfit Toys
If you’re a Patriots fan, like I am, then you are either clamoring for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye, to supplant Jacoby Brissett under center or you realize this team has two chances to pull out of this tailspin—slim and none—and Slim just left town.
“Drake Maye needs to learn from Jacoby Brissett”
*Maye learning to go 18-34, 160 Yds in a loss* pic.twitter.com/kdBaHr0cyO
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) October 6, 2024
Tarnishing the shiny penny roaming the sidelines will do him no good, nor will it turn around the fortunes of a team that entered this season with an offensive line so devoid of talent that it was downright…offensive. If you can’t protect the quarterback, you won’t score many points; that’s just how the game works.
Therefore, is it any wonder why rookie head coach Jerod Mayo keeps repeating the mantra that the key to winning is running the ball? They have a game manager in Jacoby Brissett, but he has so little to work with that his biggest and best weapon is his tight end.
Hunter Henry’s stats bear this out, as he is the team’s leading receiver with 14 receptions for 141 yards and 0 touchdowns. He is a perfectly fine tight end but certainly not the epicenter of any professional offense. Yet, in New England, he is because he’s the most immediate short-range target Brissett can find as he is constantly under duress.
Jacoby Brissett completes the pass to Hunter Henry, but the clock runs out.#Dolphins win 15-10. pic.twitter.com/1CpldumFyf
— New England Sports Fellow (@NESportsFellow) October 6, 2024
And if having a dearth of talent on the offensive line and in your corps of wide receivers wasn’t bad enough, we have a head coach who is losing control of his locker room. That’s what happens when you try to be one of the guys and not a disciplinarian.
The Patriots were whistled for 12 penalties for 105 yards in their divisional loss to the Dolphins, one of which was too many men on the field. Mayo also said lead tailback Rhamondre Stevenson would be benched to start the game because he already has four fumbles this season.
Well, Stevenson didn’t start the first series, and his replacement, Antonio Gibson, lugged the ball seven yards on his first carry before he was inexplicably vanquished to the bench. Stevenson ended with 19 carries, while Gibson had only six. That’s really laying down the law, Jerod.
What’s Next?
It’s no wonder NFL rumors are swirling that Mayo could be the first one on the chopping block when the season ends. There is little doubt that owner Bob Kraft will allow him to finish the year as it is only his first season in the big chair, but this team is an abomination, and the only thing fans can hope for is that they lose their 12 remaining NFL games and get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The sooner they fire Jerod Mayo the better off they’ll be
— Patrick Pass (@PatrickPass35) October 6, 2024
Like all Patriots fans, I want a winner, but, in the NFL, you need to be a big loser before that happens. I don’t know if the Pats have the answer in Drake Maye, and giving him a bit of garbage time is just fine with me. Hopefully, he understands how dreadful this offensive line is and will be perfectly content to hold a clipboard until next season when management can sign or draft several big and talented bodies to give this kid a fighting chance.
Until then, Patriots fans, root against the hometown team and get ready for the draft in April.
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