All good streaks must come to an end, so they say. Many had the Bears matchup marked as a loss for the Patriots as soon as the schedule came out, but I was among the disappointed ones who picked a win. [Editor’s note: I always pick a win.]
Injuries, fatigue and sloppy play weighted down the team, and QB Caleb Williams’ converting on 4th down late in the fourth quarter was the point of no return. One game’s result shouldn’t be an indictment on the season, but how the team responds the next week can
be. The experts on average dropped the Pats down 3 spots in the rankings, keeping them hovering around the 10th spot which is fair.
Up next the Pats travel to Miami to play the 1-5 Dolphins in Week 8. Miami earned its first win last week, beating the New York Jets (hee hee). It would be better to quash any feistiness in the Fins early on and not let them in the game. With a few days longer rest period, it would also be a boost if New England gets to see some of the walking wounded heal up enough to return to practice this week. Division games are always tricky, but I am picking the Pats to win decisively on Sunday.
GO PATS!!
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (5-1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
New England Patriots (4-3) at Miami Dolphins (1-5)
New York Jets (2-5) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (3-4)
AFC Matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) at Denver Broncos (5-2)
Cleveland Browns (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) vs. Indianapolis Colts (2-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) vs. Tennessee Titans (1-6)
Houston Texans (2-5) – Bye Week
Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) at Los Angeles Rams (3-4)
8th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Turnovers continue to be their bugaboo, their 14 giveaways the second most in the league and a minus-7 differential also the second worst. Factor in a rash of injuries, and it’s fairly remarkable that the Pats are 4-3. [nc]
10th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Drake Maye isn’t seeing ghosts, but he’s been haunted by turnovers in their losses. He’s up to eight interceptions and the Patriots’ three-game winning streak ended in Chicago. Maye leads the league and has matched his total from all last season. [-5]
10th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Best offseason addition: Edge Gabe Jacas. A second-round pick out of Illinois, Jacas has played 58% of the defensive snaps and provided juice for the pass rush with his high motor. He has totaled 20 tackles, six QB hits and 1.5 sacks while also contributing on the punt protection/punt coverage unit. Jacas has been a quick study, considering he was away from the team in the spring because of a knee procedure and had a contract stalemate that lasted into the early days of training camp. — Mike Reiss [-3]
10th – Nick Shook (NFL): It was good to see the Patriots compete with a legitimate contender on a short week in Chicago, and it was encouraging to watch Drake Maye shake off an ugly interception by throwing a similar pass for a touchdown later in the game. It was also frustrating to watch New England’s defense fail to make the most important plays in a game decided by them. A.J. Brown’s lack of involvement upon return is a concern, too, but overall, the Pats just have issues to correct. None will doom them. [-3]
10th – Ian Glendon (Full Press Coverage): New England’s three-game winning streak ended with a 30-24 loss at Chicago. Drake Maye threw for 321 yards and two scores but also made a costly mistake, and the defense could not contain Caleb Williams. The Patriots have earned respect over the past month, although the road loss puts a temporary cap on their climb. [-5]
11th – Conor Orr (SI): There will come a day when the Mike Vrabel act wears thin in New England, but in the wake of a quarter-million dollar fine for badmouthing the referees, his response shows that day is not today. [-2]
11th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): Only two teams are worse than -5 in turnover differential. The Colts are last in the league at -9, and the Patriots are -7. It’s impressive New England is above .500 given that mark. The other five teams at -4 or worse are under .500. The big turnover Thursday night that cost the Patriots dearly was a bad pass by Drake Maye into the end zone that was picked off by linebacker D’Marco Jackson. That was a big difference in a 30-24 loss at the Bears. Maye played well other than that blemish. He had 321 passing yards and two touchdowns with that interception. One mistake swinging the game showed how slight the margins are in the NFL. [-4]
11th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Losing at Chicago on a short week isn’t damning, but the defense wasn’t as good as in weeks past. That’s concerning. [-2]
11th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): With the Packers and Lions looming, they can’t overlook the Dolphins. [-3]
11th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): The Patriots’ narrow loss to the Bears on Thursday night might only be a bump in the road for a team that is clearly back on the right track. Drake Maye continues to play well. The Patriots still don’t run the ball very well, though, and that’s going to be a problem against a schedule that just doesn’t get much easier between now and the playoffs. They’re going to need to hold the ball to slow down some of the high-powered offenses they face. If they keep playing shootouts, it’s not going to end well for them.
Stat To Know: Rhamondre Stevenson’s 48-yard touchdown catch as time expired in the first half against the Bears was the Patriots’ longest touchdown to end a half since 2010. Over the past 20 years, 1,006 passes have been thrown in the final 10 seconds of a half from at least 40 yards from the end zone and traveled 10 or fewer air yards. Drake Maye’s throw to Stevenson was the only one to result in a touchdown. [nc]
AVG RANK: 10.3 [-2.7]
