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Author’s note: This month, the sports report is going to be a bit different. In previous months, this column has been a recap of sports at Bush and in the world, but not that much has happened during the last few months in sports, so this month’s report will focus on one of the greatest shifts in football’s history.
The New England Patriots always seemed like they’d make the playoffs. From 2001-2018, the only constants in life were taxes and the Pats suiting up to play football in a cold January playoff showdown. Over those 18 years, the Patriots won six Super Bowls, played in nine, and had a winning record every year. Five years later, they are one of the worst teams in the league.
The fall of the Patriots dynasty is such a complex story that would take many more articles to fully cover. Right now, the Patriots have the second-worst win percentage in the league, no draft picks other than their own, the fifth-oldest team in the NFL, and a 3-11 record. Part of this dramatic drop is due to the man under center for the dynasty, Tom Brady, who left for the Buccaneers and eventually retired. This immediately turned them from one of the best teams in the league to a fringe playoff team. But after 2021, things were looking up. The Patriots drafted a first-round quarterback, Mac Jones, who would end up finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. They finished 10-7 and made the playoffs for the first time since Tom Brady left. Even after a first-round exit, it seemed all was looking up for the Patriots. Bill Belichick, the head coach, remained a stoic, stern, defensive mastermind, and the Patriots had a franchise quarterback to pair with him.
2022 set the foundation for the fall. The cracks became visible. On paper, it doesn’t seem like it was a bad season. The Patriots went 8-9, which was worse than the year before, barely missing the playoffs. But the defense showed up, as they seemingly have every year, finishing top 12 in both points and yards. However, significant problems became visible, especially in the offense. It started with Mac Jones: His quarterback rating went from a solid 92.5 (15th out of 31 QBs) to a below-average 84.0 (26th out of 33 QBs). More alarmingly, Mac Jones looked like he was less in control, less accurate, and less impactful. The rest of the offense wasn’t better, though. The offense that year was 7th worst in yards per game and 7th worst in points contributed by an offense.
So what was causing the offense to regress? A possible answer to this question is the Patriots’ lack of youth and speed at the wide receiver position. The Patriots’ receiving core consisted of Jacobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and Devante Parker. All of these receivers were older than 26. Kendrick Bourne and Jacobi Meyers are both in the bottom 15 percent of receivers for forty-yard dash time, and while Agholor and Parker have solid 40-yard dashes, they have lost their speed over their 7 years of NFL experience. When none of a team's receivers are fast enough to create separation with a defensive back, that’s a problem.
At the end of the day, there’s only one person to blame for the lack of star power on the Patriots, and that’s Bill Belichick. Bill has certainly earned the respect of every football fan, but if we look at their first-round picks with Belichick as general manager, they are extremely underwhelming. Since 2013, the team has had eight first-round picks. Only the 3 most recent picks are still on the team, and of the eight first-round picks, only Mac Jones has made the Pro Bowl. In the last 10 years, none of the first-round picks from the Patriots have made a meaningful contribution to the team, which explains the lack of stardom and speed on the team. The one receiver they’ve taken in the first round, N’Keal Harry, was a massive bust, only getting 600 receiving yards in three years as a Patriot.
Another problem has been the coaching. Not Bill Belichick, but the offensive coordinator, or in this case, coordinators. In 2022, the Patriots’ offensive coordinators were Joe Judge and Matt Patricia, whose previous experience came from special teams and defense, respectively. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their offense completely lacked creativity and innovation.
Finally, we’ve made it to 2023. The season’s start was far from disastrous. The Patriots started with two close losses against great teams and then beat the Jets to move their record to 1-2. The offense looked tolerable under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, and the defense looked as good as ever. Then it all fell apart. Nearly all the defense got injured, and the offense couldn’t score. In the next two games, they lost 3-38 and 0-34, and have not recovered. Now, at 3-11, they have the second-worst record in the NFL. The offense has devolved into the lowest-scoring offense in the league, scoring a measly 13.3 points per game. Mac Jones has become unplayable and was benched for Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick in 2022, who has also struggled in the starting quarterback role. After every loss, more and more people begin to think it’s the end for Bill Belichick as the Patriots head coach. The Patriots are projected to have the number two pick in the draft, and it seems likely that owner Robert Kraft may decide to part ways with Bill Belichick to find a younger, more innovative coach. But no matter who’s the head coach, the Patriots will have to learn to change and modernize their game if they want to compete in an ever-changing National Football League.
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