listen live to the weei 6 rings postgame show:
The Patriots traveled all the way to Frankfurt this weekend for what was supposed to be an exciting international contest in front of their German fans.
Instead? They lost, in brutal fashion, to the now 5-5 Indianapolis Colts.
Here are five immediate thoughts from Sunday’s game:
5 - Pats gash Colts in run game, but it’s ultimately not enough.
Split between Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, the Patriots ran the football for 34 yards (and five a pop) on their first drive of Sunday morning’s contest, resulting in three points from rookie kicker Chad Ryland.
Throughout the rest of the contest, New England ran the ball 26 times for 167 yards and gashed the Colts’ run defense play in and play out.
They probably could have won the game by just running the football alone. But they threw the ball 27 times (between both quarterbacks, which we’ll get to) for just 173 yards and two interceptions.
4 - Cornerback room problems continue.
Following up on the Patriots’ ongoing saga in the cornerback room, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on Sunday morning that not only did J.C. Jackson miss curfew last weekend at the team’s hotel, but he didn’t show up at all. This is what resulted in both his benching last week and him being away from the team this week.
Jack Jones, who was late to the team hotel (but eventually showed up), did made the trip to Germany but started started Sunday’s game versus the Colts on the bench according to The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
Jones responded to his benching the same way he did a week ago: (literally) sitting on the bench draped in a garment as the rest of his defensive teammates walked the sidelines.
The second-year cornerback eventually entered the game on the team’s third defensive drive.
3 - Putting Bailey Zappe into this game is another example of Bill Belichick malpractice.
Down 10-6 with 1:52 left in Sunday’s game, Bill Belichick and co. decided to bench Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe following a brutal redzone interception.
It doesn’t matter how bad the turnover was, you can’t call on Bailey Zappe in that spot.
Benching Jones in the Dallas and and Saints games were one thing. The game was over. Putting their backup in, essentially ice cold, in that situation did not give the Patriots the best chance to win the football game.
Bill Belichick always says he does what he thinks is best for the team. That decision, in that situation, was not.
2 - ‘Teapot’ O’Brien makes an appearance.
Midway through the third quarter, the Patriots forced a turnover of Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew after a Jahlani Tavai tipped pass found the hands of cornerback Myles Bryant.
On the ensuing offensive drive, New England ran eight plays for 33 yards down to the Indianapolis 17 yard line, but a missed Chad Ryland field goal resuled in zero points.
Following the possession, offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien could be seen reaming out quarterback Mac Jones reaming out on the broadcast. Jones looked to have had Rhamondre Stevenson open in the flat on one play and rookie WR Kayshon Boutte open on another.
O’Brien earned the nickname “Teapot” from Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer during his first stint in New England for his sideline oubursts, and that persona reared it’s ugly head on Sunday in Frankfurt.
1 - Even if the Patriots don’t fire Belichick mid-season, their 2023 campaign is now effectively over.
The New England Football Patriots are 2-8 through ten games. They head into their post-Germany bye week with seven contests left to play and frankly, the results of them no longer matter.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday morning that Robert Kraft is “not inclined to fire Bill Belichick mid-season". However, the Patriots owner still doesn’t sound thrilled about where his team’ is at.
“This our 30th year that I’ve had the privilege of owning this team,” Kraft said during NFL Network’s pregame show in Germany. “I’ve never been 2-7. So, it’s really disappointing. I had hoped that things would be a lot better, as I know our fanbase did. And I hope today is a chance to reset and make this a much better year.”
The kicker?
“This isn’t what we were expecting to happen this year.”
Kraft said before the season that he wanted to go to the playoffs. They’re far, far, far from that and whether the decision is made this week or not, Sunday’s contest in Germany looked like the true end of the Bill Belichick era in New England.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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