FOXBOROUGH, Mass — Going into Sunday's matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Kevin Byard described the game as a "measuring stick game."
But if that's the case and the result is any indication, the New England Patriots were given the ultimate wake up call.
The offense managed to put up 27 points against one of the top 10 defenses in the league, but it was overshadowed by the three interceptions thrown by Drake Maye as well as Rhamondre Stevenson's fumble. On defense, New England couldn't stop Jordan Love and the Packers offense, allowing them to put up 45 points.
Obviously, injuries are starting to play a role. And the team has tried to build its identity around the next-man-up mentality, with each player consistently saying that they prepare
like a starter week in and week out.
It's not working.
The success they had last season can largely be attributed to the team having a clear identity, whether it was the phrase "we all we got, we all we need," or hearing them chant "road warriors" after each away victory. So, they need to find one that the team can rally around and build back up the winning culture that won Mike Vrabel the Coach of the Year honors last year. And they need to do it quickly.
But there are other issues at play. And it was all summed up in one sentence by Mike Vrabel: "When your best players don’t play well, you don’t have much of a chance in this league."
Maye had his fair share of struggles, but it was star cornerback Christian Gonzalez who disappointed most with his performance, getting beat left and right by Matthew Golden and Christian Watson. Then there are the receivers, who haven't been able to do much (outside of DeMario Douglas at times), as well as a struggling run game that only averaged 5.9 yards per carry in the loss.
These are just a few examples, but there's a lot more this team has to fix if they want to be able to compete going forward and even make a run in January.
Because instead of this being a measuring stick, this was a reality check for the Patriots.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots' measuring stick matchup quickly became a reality check
