The New England Patriots are under .500 for the first time in October since 2002, so their fans are worried about their chances of making the playoffs, but it isn’t time to hit the panic button.
The record might seem bad for a team coached by Bill Belichick, but there are plenty of reasons why the record is what it is and why there shouldn’t be panic in Foxborough.
The Patriots defense wasn’t horrible in their loss to Denver, as they allowed 6 field goals and zero touchdowns to be scored. Their defense is going to be key in three of the next four games with matchups against the 49ers, Bills, and Ravens coming up.
The team has had to deal with positive COVID-19 tests for the past two weeks which resulted in them having to shut down their facilities multiple times. They weren’t able to practice and prepare for the Broncos as much as they would’ve liked to.
Even Belichick said it for himself: “We need more time together, we need to practice together, we need to execute and do everything better. No question about that… Nobody’s practiced, I mean we all need to do more practice, we need to get our execution levels up a lot higher.”
I have no doubt in my mind that the Patriots will be better prepared for the 49ers this week if they’re able to go through a full week of practice. There’s no need to panic yet.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
