1. The Patriots are 2-5, but when speaking Friday Cam Newton said the team could very easily be 5-2. But as Bill Parcells always said, you are what your record says you are. As Bill Belichick pointed out right after the game last Sunday, the Patriots have lost three games that have come down to the final possession. The Patriots used to win the majority of these games and obviously the biggest difference is no longer having Tom Brady at quarterback. So, it’s worth asking the question, what would the Patriots’ record be with Brady under center this year? It certainly would not a drastic improvement because the Patriots’ issues are far more than just the quarterback position, but he’d likely be good for another win or two. It’s hard to say exactly which games would have gone differently, but the Patriots very easily could have beaten the Bills and it’s hard to imagine a Brady-led team losing to the Broncos at home. But the overall outlook on the season would not be that much different. Even with Brady at quarterback, the Patriots would never have a chance to compete with the Steelers, Chiefs and Titans — the best the AFC has to offer. Sure, they likely would be in a great spot to win the division yet again, but a similar result to last year — a loss on wild card weekend — certainly would be in play. What’s done is done in terms of what happened with Brady, but it’s just worth mentioning that while things would be a little different this season if he were still here, the big picture really wouldn’t be much different at all.
2. It’s been a refreshing change to hear some Patriots players, including Newton, give more insight than ever before on how they are feeling going into games, but at the same time they aren’t making things any easier on themselves given the recent losses. Speaking Friday, Newton said the team has to win Monday against the Jets, which was met with a lot of fans saying, ‘Didn’t you just say that last week?’ The honesty is certainly appreciated, but when the team doesn’t come through on Sundays, it can work against them.
3. If the Patriots continue their losing ways and fall further and further out of playoff contention, at some point they will need to pull the plug on Newton as the starter and allow second-year player Jarrett Stidham to take over. That time is not now, but if we get to Thanksgiving and the Patriots have not drastically turned a corner, then it may be time to allow Stidham the chance to start and get a better idea of what he is as a NFL quarterback. It’s unfair to judge him so far, as while he’s struggled in the games he’s played in, he hasn’t played any of them with a full week of preparation as the starter. Finding out what Stidham is should be on the list of boxes to check off between now and the end of the year (as long as things continue to go as they have).
4. While Adrian Phillips is listed as a safety, he’s primarily been a linebacker this season. At under six feet and just over 200 pounds, this has been a big ask of the veteran, but he noted this week it was something he expected to do when he signed this offseason. “Me and Coach [Belichick] talked about it and the past two or three or so years that has primarily been what my role has been,” Phillips said. “I was a strong safety, but kind of like the hybrid role in the box. We talked about that. It’s just kind of how the season is going right now. There could be a time that I’ll be back at safety a lot more or it could be I am staying in the box. We’ve talked about it and it’s really just playing to the strengths of whatever the offense is giving us. If it requires me to be in the box then I will do it. If it requires me to play more safety then I will do it. It’s just kind of being ready for whatever.”
5. It’s really not a surprise the Patriots, and the rest of the league for that matter, weren’t very active at the trade deadline. It happens every year where there’s a lot of hype going into it and then not much happens at all. The Patriots did the right thing by asking for a lot with Stephon Gilmore as it didn’t make sense just trade him for the sake of trading him. He’s still under contract for next year so if the team still wants to deal him in the offseason, they could get a decent return around the draft.
6. The Buccaneers will be interesting to watch the rest of the year with the addition of Antonio Brown as Tom Brady will need to make sure to keep all of his pass-catchers happy when it comes to targets. It sure feels like with the addition of Brown, the Bucs are Super Bowl or bust and that seems to put a lot of pressure, and maybe unnecessary pressure, on Brady in his first year in Tampa. We’ll see how things go beginning Sunday night against the Saints.
7. After the Patriots lost to the Bills last Sunday there was a chance the game next Sunday night against the Ravens could have been flexed out, but the NFL kept it as scheduled. It makes sense as even though the Patriots are struggling this season, they still draw ratings from around the country. Baltimore takes on the Colts in one of the better games this week as both teams are 5-2 on the year.
