Following Sunday’s thrilling upset victory against the Bills, we advised Patriots supporters to focus on the present rather than the long term.
Enjoying a victory is important, especially when you don’t know when you’ll get another one. It doesn’t matter who you now support—#TeamTank or want to make a comeback—upsetting the Bills as an 8.5-point home underdog will always make you smile.
But even if the quarterback is using his own 24-hour rule, the Patriots need to confront the facts at this point. The first six weeks of the season are not forgotten after a fantastic victory over the Bills. If the NFL Draft were to end today, New England would still be picking sixth. This season may go one of two ways: either the Patriots win the Super Bowl in October, or something will spur them to a winning streak. As it stands, New England is still 2-5.
When the Patriots were at their best, they were on the Buffalo side of this movie plot. Any given Sunday, a determined underdog would catch the monster asleep and promptly lay an egg the next week, with the Pats viewing it as a small speed bump en route to greater things.
After a significant victory, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones may be able to stave off the people requesting their dismissal for the time being. However, if the Patriots resume their poor play the following week, then this goodwill may not last long. Realists would argue against overreacting to a single game. It’s actually more likely that the Patriots, who just won the Super Bowl, will return to Miami. However, there’s something positive about this offensive that we’ve witnessed throughout the previous six quarters.
Bill O’Brien, the offensive coordinator, always knew it would take time to get his program rolling. Installing his playbook, reassembling the quarterback, coaching bad habits out of the lingering players from the previous administration, and determining how to effectively use his personnel were all tasks O’Brien had to complete. Despite O-Line ailments and insufficient quality in crucial areas for effective offensive football, O’Brien was forced to perform all of that. When you put it all out there, it seems like a really simple job. Nope, didn’t believe that.
