Let’s get one thing straight. We are spoiled in New England.
New England Patriots fans have sat atop the pro football universe for a long time now. Winning is expected and losing is met with stunned looks of disbelief, especially at Gillette Stadium.
We are in the 18th season of Bill Belichick coaching the New England Patriots. We have an amazing five (five!) Super Bowl trophies in the bank and are forever grateful.
But we are also New Englanders. We are tough, and we want more.
We certainly don’t lose without a fight and when the Kansas City Chiefs waltzed into Foxborough on opening night and pinned an eye-opening 42-27 defeat on the Pats, no one was happy. Fans have spent the last few days wondering if the Patriots could be this bad or if the Chiefs are finally ready for a run to a Super Bowl.
The answer is the Pats will be OK, but the Chiefs could be one of a few teams capable of standing in the way in January. The Patriots have issues, however, and we are here to emphasize a few and maybe ease your pain.
First of all, while the Patriots are indeed the defending Super Bowl champions, a lot has changed since that magical February night in Houston. Chief executive Belichick engineered a series of roster moves in the offseason and while it’s tough not to like Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore (even though he gave up a whopper of a TD to blazer Tyreek Hill), Bill decided good players like Logan Ryan, Chris Long, Martellus Bennett and LeGarrette Blount were expendable. So this is hardly the same group that won a Super Bowl.
What’s left is a team that will win the woeful AFC East but has some early concerns:
FRONT-SEVEN DEFENSE: This is the group that the Chiefs gashed all evening on the way to six TDs and the most points by an opponent in the Belichick Era. Down linemen Alan Branch and Malcom Brown never touched Alex Smith. Trey Flowers (two sacks) pressured the QB but when Dont’a Hightower (knee) could play for only 51 percent of the snaps, the Pats trotted out a host of Not Ready for Prime Time players. Kyle Van Noy is now indispensable and the Pats used Jordan Richards, a safety by trade, in a linebacker spot. He did not play in the Super Bowl. Neither did Lawrence Guy (free-agent signee), Cassius Marsh (acquired via trade a week ago), fourth-round draft pick Deatrich Wise (18 plays) or undrafted rookie Adam Butler (21 plays).
If you’re wondering just who these guys are, join the party. The Pats really miss Rob Ninkovich (retired) and Shea McClellin (injured reserve) and will be shopping for help at linebacker.
One more thing: Belichick signed veteran linebacker David Harris away from the Jets in the offseason. He was on the field for only two snaps, so something is certainly amiss on that front.
WIDE RECEIVER: Losing Julian Edelman for the season was a major, major blow but the news that Malcolm Mitchell was also placed on injured reserve was the compounding loss that the Pats’ receiving core could not afford. Mitchell had more catches in the Super Bowl than Edelman and could have blossomed in the star’s absence.
When Danny Amendola took a glancing shot to the head catching a punt, Pats fans had to be wondering when this drain on pass-catchers was going to end. Without Edelman and Amendola, Brady lacks his favorite targets for the quick-hitters that are his bread-and-butter. He was just 2-of-9 passing on third down chances.
Things can get better in this department with time and practice, but Amendola cannot miss games with concussion issues and recently acquired Phillip Dorsett needs to work up to speed and contribute quickly.
TOM BRADY: The uninformed among us focus on this 40-year-old legend too much. He’s not the problem. While Brady missed some open throws, the lack of separation by the receivers and a seemingly slower Rob Gronkowski was noticeable. That’s going to hurt any QB’s numbers. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was too slow in incorporating running backs James White and Rex Burkhead into the passing game, so Brady was forced to throw low percentage deep balls too often where he was just 3 of 15.
There is always too much focus on quarterbacks in the NFL, win or lose, and the same goes for Brady. He wasn’t good, but the offense did string up 27 points through three quarters.
BELICHICK: The old coach is last on the list because while his team is thin on defense and at receiver, he has plenty of time to clean things up. In Bill We Trust, right?
The mounting injuries and gaping personnel holes have shifted a lot of responsibility to the top dog and his staff. Or how would you like to be Matt Patricia right about now, coaching a defense that surrendered 537 yards and the most points by a Pats team in 24 seasons?
The Patriots feel they have the best coach, and staff, in the league. Right now they need to coach ’em up. The offense should be productive but can’t afford any more major injuries. The defense needs a healthy Hightower and perhaps some reinforcements.
NFL teams are allowed to lose games, even the Patriots and even on opening night. Getting embarrassed is another thing entirely but give the Chiefs credit. They were ready to play and the Pats couldn’t overcome their injuries and depth issues. Time will tell.
We’re on to New Orleans. In Bill We Trust.
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