The 1-2 Patriots returned to Gillette Stadium on Monday after a weekend off, as they enjoyed a “mini bye” after playing on Thursday Night Football.
Well, “enjoyed” may have been the wrong word to use, as Thursday was among the worst offensive performances in the history of the franchise, losing to the Jets at MetLife Stadium 24-3.
New England was held to 139 yards of total offense, only possessed the ball for a total of 19:56, and went 2 for 11 on 3rd down conversions.
They only managed one trip to the red zone, which came in garbage time on the final series of the game with rookie Drake Maye in at quarterback.
They averaged a measly 2.9 yards per play on only 48 offensive snaps.
They allowed 7 sacks for a loss of 59 yards, and it somehow felt even worse than that stat line for the offensive line.
Do I need to explain it any further?
It was about as grim as you can possibly imagine for a team that somehow beat the Bengals in Cincinnati only two weeks ago.
Head coach Jerod Mayo told the media on Monday that he told his team that where they are is “all our fault,” and only they can right the ship moving forward.
“It's a very up-front conversation,” Mayo began when asked specifically about how he addressed his offensive line after their putrid performance on Thursday. “I have the relationship and so do the coaches with those guys, where you can be very transparent and open.
“This isn't good enough. I showed on one of my slides this morning just a picture of a mirror. Our job as coaches is to put the mirror in front of the players faces, and remind them what it really is. It's not about your mom, your brother, or cousins telling you it's not your fault. It's all of our fault. Once again, it starts with me.”
Since the beginning of the second half against the Seahawks in Week 2, his offense has completely stagnated. And it’s not that this year’s version of the Patriots was emulating the 2007 team through their first six quarters by any stretch of the imagination, but there was at least some semblance of balance and an ability to move the football.
That has disappeared, and it’s probably no coincidence that this vanishing act has coincided with some of the worst offensive line play we’ve seen in New England this millennium.
Mayo told the media that he made it clear on Monday morning that it needs to be better moving forward.
“This morning, I had a good meeting with the team,” said Mayo. “We recapped the last three games and level set on expectations. I just told those guys, like always, that we have to continue to get better.
“I tried to put some things into perspective. You have a team that's picked to win the Super Bowl, gets blown out the next week. Right now, it's about who can get better the quickest. That's what we have to do. We have to get back to the fundamentals. When we talk about tackling, running and being able to move the ball. And also takeaways are definitely a huge part of it. The guys are ready to work. They're excited. Today, it's all about ‘N.E.P.’ It has nothing to do with anyone else. It has everything to do with self-scout and working on things that continue to show up on a game after game basis.”
Mayo went on to clarify that he probably “misspoke,” and should have said that Monday morning’s conversation was about “resetting” expectations, reminding the team about the goals they set for themselves in the spring.
When asked if he felt like his team was still searching for an identity, he felt like that was a bridge too far.
“I don't want to jump to conclusions,” said Mayo. “After we controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the preseason, and on both sides of the ball in the first two games, to sit here and overreact on the third game, and controlling the line of scrimmage, I don't want to do that.
“I still think we have a tough, physical football team. That's my expectation, and that's also their expectation, to go out there and establish your toughness. In the fourth quarter, hopefully, you have a chance to win.”
Expecting the Patriots to have a chance to win in the fourth quarter in Week 4 might be a lot to ask, as they’re currently listed as the largest underdogs in the league.
Both BetMGM and FanDuel have the Patriots listed as 10.5-point underdogs as they hit the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers (1-2).
While San Francisco can be seen sporting the same record as the Patriots, they’re still among the favorites to win Super Bowl LIX. Both BetMGM (+650) and FanDuel (+700) only have the Chiefs ahead of the 49ers on their Super Bowl futures boards.
You can currently get the Patriots at +30000 at BetMGM and +32000 at FanDuel.
Please don’t place that bet.