Patriots have to face some harsh realities after loss to Jets

Entering Week 3 with a 1-1 record after back-to-back competitive games, the New England Patriots could have made a statement on national television against the New York Jets . And in a way, they did.

However, it was not the statement they were hoping to make. Instead, their 24-3 loss on Thursday Night Football had some clear "They are who we thought they were" vibes.

Indeed, they looked very much like the 4-13 team that entered the regular season as one of the supposed frontrunners for the No. 1 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. The optimism that reigned supreme after an opening week upset gave way to a more somber look at the team following an overtime loss in Week 2, which in turn set the stage for a disappointing primetime outing versus the Jets.

Obviously, one game can never tell the full story of a team and its outlooks. The highs are never as high, and the lows not as low as they may seem. That being said, the NFL is nothing if not a "What have you done for me lately" league.

And what the Patriots did on Thursday was, frankly, a reality check even considering the challenging circumstances they had to face.

No. 1: They will only go as far as the offensive line allows them to One of the main catalysts behind the Patriots' offensive collapse in 2023 was insufficient offensive line play, especially early on in the season. While the group did settle down somewhat down the stretch, it continuously struggled with stability and consistency both in terms of personnel and performance.

Fast forward to 2024, and you see the same thing. While the two offenses are quite different in terms of coaching, scheme, personnel and ball security, the O-line being a weak link continues to be common thread linking them.

Thursday was the most drastic and disappointing example of that.

The offensive line surrendered seven sacks between quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, gave up an astounding 22 pressures on just 35 combined dropbacks — a rate of 62.9 percent — and allowed eight Jets defenders to register at least one half-sack. Yes, the Patriots gained 78 yards on just 15 carries for a healthy average of 5.2 per rushing attempt, but those numbers are skewed given how the game script developed.

Fact is, the Patriots didn't do one of the most important things in pro football these days: they could not keep their quarterbacks clean. Once they were forced to pass after falling behind 14-0, they were doomed.

Of course, the offensive line was not at full strength against a talented Jets front highlighted by All-Pro Quinnen Williams. The entire starting left side — tackle Vederian Lowe and guard Sidy Sow — was out and replaced by a first-time starter (Caedan Wallace) and recent practice squad call-up (Michael Jordan) who both got banged up. Right guard Layden Robinson, meanwhile, is a rookie sandwich on veteran bread.

Stability has been a concern going all the way back to the spring, and Thursday was more of the same in that regard.

The Patriots are expected to get Lowe and Sow back at some point, possibly after their upcoming mini bye. But question remain nonetheless given that the former has not particularly shined in his two games so far, and the latter has yet to start an NFL regular season game at left guard.

Maybe Cole Strange will help turn things around once (if?) he returns off the physically unable to perform list later in the year; lest we forget he played the best football of his young career before his season-ending patellar injury last December. But him returning to form is not a given neither.

So, at the time being, it's live to survive another day for the Patriots offense and its line.

No. 2: Drake Maye will not be the savior, for now Drake Maye's long-awaited debut in the late fourth quarter put a fitting wrap on the Patriots' offensive performance on the whole. It left a lot to be desired.

That is not necessarily due to what he did in his 16 snaps, but rather what he wasn't able to do. Like Brissett, he never stood much of a chance behind a struggling offensive line and was sacked two times in his 12 dropbacks. He had a nice fourth down completion on a throw to DeMario Douglas, but overall was rather quiet.

More than anything, though, his brief appearance within the context of the entire offensive operation on Thursday served as a reminder that it is not his time yet. While Maye undoubtably offers the Patriots a higher ceiling at quarterback than Jacoby Brissett, the team would be leaving him out to dry if inserted into the lineup.

An argument can be made that they did just that on Thursday.

It all comes back to the protection the team cannot provide right now. And while some might argue that Maye can create his own protection due to his dual-threat abilities — and there is some truth to that — the risk arguably outweighs the reward for a multitude of reasons ranging from his physical readiness against NFL pass rushers to his confidence.

Of course, head coach Jerod Mayo left the possibility of a quarterback change open on Thursday. Ultimately, though, the Patriots cannot afford being spooked into accelerating Maye's development timeline just because they have yet to play competent passing football and just dropped to 1-2 on the season.

Maye was acquired as a long-term investment for the franchise, and all decisions regarding his role on the depth chart need to be made with precisely that in mind.

No. 3: The blueprint to beat them is obvious NFL Films' A Football Life: Bill Belichick includes a scene where the Patriots' then-head coach outlines a simple concept in one of his coaching staff meetings. In order for opponents to stop the 2009 version of the New England offense, all they would need to do is find a way to eliminate Randy Moss and Wes Welker (a task easier said than done but one that teams proved themselves capable of).

The 2024 Patriots are similar in that regard. Instead of Moss or Welker, however, the players in question are Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Or, to be precise, it's about what they represent: New England's ability to run the football.

Throughout the offseason, head coach Jerod Mayo and, to a lesser degree, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt publicly stated their intentions on offense. The Patriots would rely on their running game to carry them through the season, come hell or high water.

Against Cincinnati and Seattle, that plan worked to a degree. With Stevenson as the top option, the Patriots managed to control the flow of the game and paired with a stout defense kept themselves in a competitive position. All of that went out the window versus the Jets, because New England was forced to adapt — due to defensive looks and game script — and simply could not do it.

The early run/pass splits from Thursday night are a perfect example of that. By the time the Patriots fell behind 14-0 halfway through the second quarter, they had called seven passes versus just two runs.

That is not a wining recipe at the moment. It also is something that is counterintuitive for a team whose ability to run the ball has been significant compared to the aerial game's weaknesses.

Those run/pass splits may not have been that big of an issue had the defense been able to limit the Jets. However, four days after an overtime game the unit simply looked gassed — partially because it had to play a high number of snaps right out of the gate. While the offense played nine snaps until that second Jets touchdown, the defense played 28 (plus two more that were called back by penalty).

The Patriots did not play their best game defensively — far from it, actually — but they also received little support. Between that and the injuries starting to mount on that side of the ball, Thursday night had shades of 2023 for DeMarcus Covington's unit as well.

No. 4: The defense has some exploitable weaknesses The Patriots defense played some very good football in Week 1, and also on a level high enough to win in Week 2. The Jets game, however, was different: New England's highly-touted defense did not look up to the task and the game started to snowball away quickly.

The circumstances again cannot be ignored — short week, little support from the offense — but they only go so far. At the end of the day, after all, the Patriots are in no different of a boat than the rest of the league: injuries happen all the time, and it's about who can best adapt and get the next men up ready.

On Thursday, those men were not. And that is a problem regardless of the circumstances surrounding just that one particular game.

At linebacker, Jahlani Tavai and Raekwon McMillan looked suspect manning the second level in lieu of team captain Ja'Whaun Bentley. The hope is that they grow better with more time, but opponents will force them to show their progress early and often. Until Tavai and McMillan can show they are up to the task, it will be a trial by fire for them.

The same is true for the rotational talent elsewhere on the roster. Alex Austin replacing Marco Wilson had shades of the old Alex Jones Weight Loss meme , while other players such as Jeremiah Pharms Jr. or Dell Pettus very much look like the relatively inexperienced players that they are (and that's not a knock on them, either, but just the truth of the situation).

Going after backup and rotational players has been an offensive tactic as old as the game of football itself, and the 2024 Patriots will not be immune to that either. Whether through scheme or in-season development, the coaches will be tasked with find a way to mask those weaknesses.

Those are not the only ones, though. The Patriots also remain up and down in the pass rushing department, and their tackling was not up to par on Thursday either.

It may have been a perfect storm against the Jets, or some concerning cracks in the unit's armor; maybe it was both. But at least for that one game, the vaunted Patriots defense was anything but and has some work to do to get back on track.

No. 5: Week 1 was a fluke, sort of Calling the Patriots' 16-10 in over the Cincinnati Bengals a fluke may be a bit harsh, but they may very well have been punching above their weight on opening day. Likewise, they might have been punching below it versus a spirited Jets team.

So, where is this team exactly? Probably somewhere in the middle with those two games as a potential ceiling and floor. What that unfortunately also means is that the early-season optimism mentioned above will have to be adjusted, both externally and internally.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, though. Instead, it is more of a recalibration toward a realistic outlook for this team: at its best and under the right set of circumstances, it can play competitive and entertaining football; at its worst... well, we saw what that looked like for three hours on Thursday.