FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — When the New England Patriots get their next win – and with a schedule this easy, that seems almost a sure thing – they will have matched their win total from the last two seasons
combined.
That’s how far the six-time Super Bowl champions had fallen under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo, and how quickly Mike Vrabel has turned things around. The Patriots (7-2) have won six straight games to move into first place in the AFC East following back-to-back last-place finishes.
“We are at a good spot. Could we be better? Hell, yeah,” receiver Stefon Diggs said after the Patriots beat Atlanta 24-23 on Sunday. “When it is early in the season and people come out with all these rankings, or where you could have been, don’t drink the Kool-Aid. That gets you distracted fast.”
The team is not without concerns as it heads into the second half of its season, starting with next week's game at Tampa Bay.
Injuries threaten to undermine what Vrabel has built into a solid but thin roster — especially if Drake Maye is unable to get up after being one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the league. And turnovers continue to be a problem — there were three more on Sunday, helping the Falcons come within a missed extra point of sending the game to overtime.
“We’re going to learn from winning,” Vrabel said, “so that we don’t have to learn from losing about taking care of the ball and complementary football and how quickly things can change.”
The emergence of Maye as an NFL MVP contender removes one big worry the Patriots have had since Tom Brady left in 2020.
Before landing on Maye, the Patriots shuffled among five different starting quarterbacks over the next five years – as many as they had in the previous 19 seasons, when Brady was under center unless he was injured or suspended.
In his second season since he was the No. 3 overall draft pick, Maye has completed an NFL-best 74.1% of his passes for 2,285 yards and 17 touchdowns, with four interceptions.
“I’m just trying to enjoy these wins,” he said. “It’s tough to win in this league, and from my short career in this league, I think you’ve just got to enjoy it when you get in the win column.”
The young team’s attention span.
Vrabel said the Patriots “took a little nap” at the end of the first half, giving up a strip sack with 32 seconds left – and 27-yard fumble return – that helped Atlanta cut a two-touchdown lead to seven points.
Maye had two fumbles and an interception, New England’s sloppiest game since a five-turnover loss to the Steelers in Week 3.
Diggs was a four-time Pro Bowl selection before losing half of last season to a knee injury. He has caught 45 passes for 508 yards and two touchdowns, combining with Kayshon Boutte, tight end Hunter Henry and running back TreyVeyon Henderson to give Maye ample options.
The offensive line allowed six sacks for the second week in a row. This wasn't Cleveland All-Pro Myles Garrett, who is one of the top pass-rushers in the NFL; this was a combination of players — LaCale London, Brandon Dorlus and Jalon Walker — who had combined for 4 1/2 sacks total in their careers.
The team's 34 sacks allowed is the second-most in the league.
New England's best defensive back, Christian Gonzalez, left Sunday’s game with a head injury. Receiver Kayshon Boutte injured his hamstring. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson missed the game with an injured toe. Linebacker Christian Elliss went out with a sore hip.
Although Vrabel has done well to rebuild the roster, depth is one of the weaknesses.
After starting his career 4-11 as a starter, Maye has gone 7-0.
Playing a schedule built from last year’s last-place finish, the Patriots have one of the easiest paths to the playoffs this season. They have fattened up on teams with a combined record of 27-49 — lowest in the league (though they have also beaten the Bills in Buffalo).
Their future opponents have gone 24-43 so far this year, also the league's easiest. Next week’s trip to Tampa and back-to-back games against Buffalo and at Baltimore in September are the biggest potential hurdles for a team that has the league’s third-best odds of reaching the playoffs, according to BetMGM.
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