For all intents and purposes, this season is the big eye into the future of the New England Patriots. They are charting a new course after two decades of being led by the game’s greatest player, something that was bound to come no matter how much one hoped it would never happen. The season is six games old, and the present and future looks decidedly like a mixed bag.
While last season was officially the first one with Tom Brady having moved on, it was a transition year all the way around. With empty stadiums as a result of the coronavirus, along with a quarterback likely closer to the end of his career than the start, it was not a season that said much about where the franchise is going. It was a unique year all the way around, one that had some highs but too many lows, leading to a 7-9 finish, their first losing season in 20 years.
This year was bound to tell us more. They drafted their prospective quarterback of the future in the first round and signed several key free agents to help build around, while cutting ties with others who led them in prior seasons, including to their most recent Super Bowl. Mac Jones, the aforementioned rookie quarterback, beat out Cam Newton for the starting job and is getting thrown into the fire.
Through six games, the Patriots are 2-4, which puts them two games back in the loss column of the favored Buffalo Bills. The bottom line numbers certainly don’t scream “playoff team” by a long shot, but they also don’t tell the whole story. The Patriots have been outscored by just two points on the season (interestingly, the Indianapolis Colts are also 2-4 and have outscored their opponents by eight points on the season), and they have really been out-classed in just one of the four losses.
That last statement, though, cuts both ways. On one hand, the Patriots are not far from being, say, 4-2. They were driving late in the opener against Miami, then fumbled the ball away in what looked like a game-winning drive. They had a shot at a field goal that could have given them a very late lead against Tampa Bay, and it hit the crossbar and bounced away harmlessly. They had their chances on Sunday against Dallas, although the Cowboys moved the ball against them at will and were their own worst enemies in giving the Patriots a chance. The Cowboys racked up 567 total yards but needed overtime to escape Foxboro.
While that can give fans hope, the reality is that these are still losses, still games where the Patriots couldn’t close the deal. They were still a little short in one area or another. At some point, these close losses can be a sign of a team that can’t make the necessary plays, especially late in the game, and can sap the confidence of the team.
These losses are also a sign of a team that has a lot of work to do. Ball security has been a concern, and the offensive line has not been as good lately. In recent years, the Patriots have set the standard for developing offensive linemen, as they have had great depth and as such survived several key injuries. This year, they haven’t looked the same. Defensively, Sunday’s game was an anomaly and wasn’t one at the same time. The defense has had its moments and kept them in a game or two, but on the whole has left something to be desired.
If there’s one big bright spot for the future, it’s in Mac Jones. The rookie has been far from flawless, but he’s shown plenty of promise. He has thrown as many interceptions (five) as touchdown passes, and his rating is down, but he’s also among the league leaders in completion percentage. He shined under the bright lights on a Sunday night against the reigning Super Bowl champions and with enormous pressure on him given who his counterpart was on the evening. He has made plenty of big throws, including when taking hits. Speaking of hits, he has been sacked 11 times, though to his credit, he has bounced right back up and continued to compete.
They clearly have their quarterback for the far future, and that’s a big piece of the puzzle in today’s NFL. As he finds the chemistry with more of his receivers and they grow into the system, the passing game will be less and less of a concern, assuming that in due time they develop offensive line talent they way they have for most of the past decade or so.
In all, this team has a few areas for improvement, so while their 2-4 record can be a bit deceiving, it’s also representative of where this team currently is. This team is in the midst of growing pains and clearly has more to come, and while they will excite fans and give them reason to believe they may be closer to contention again, they will also frustrate them at times as well.