Patriots fan critical point against Buccaneers
At some juncture, the New England Patriots need to get their act together. This, the defending Super Bowl champions, who were expected by many to go 16-0 on their way to another title run.
Instead, the team has struggled mightily to begin the 2017 campaign. In their season opener, the Patriots lost 42-27 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Alex Smith throwing for 368 yards and four touchdowns. After a win on the road over the New Orleans Saints, New England allowed 33 points in consecutive weeks to the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers, splitting the decisions.
While the offense has been great, the defense is displaying historic ineptitude. New England is surrendering 456.8 yards per game, which if continued throughout the year, would be the worst numbers of all time. To give that statistic proper context, the Indianapolis Colts rank 31st in total defense, allowing 396.3 yards.
The other numbers aren’t any better. New England is giving up 32 points per game, only better than the Colts. Against the pass, the Patriots are giving up a ghastly 324 yards, the worst in the NFL. Against the run, New England “improves” to 26th, permitting over 132 yards on the ground per game.
On Thursday, the Patriots take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, another team with postseason hopes and dreams. Tampa Bay has not been to the playoffs since the George Bush Jr. administration, but with a 2-1 start there is real reason to believe. A win over New England at Raymond James Stadium in front of a national audience would go a long way toward making legions take it more seriously.
If the Patriots plan to get out of Tampa with a win, they need to stop DeSean Jackson, Mike Evans and James Winston. Winston is prone to interceptions, but he’s also gone for 864 yards and six touchdowns in three games. Evans already has 227 yards and a pair of scores, while Jackson is off to a slow start with 143 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers can make New England pay if we continue to see penalties and breakdowns in the secondary.
Come Friday morning, the main storyline will belong to Foxborough’s team. The Patriots were supposed to be dominant in a way few teams have ever been. While that has already proven to be a pipe dream gone awry, New England can still realize it’s main goal of another Vince Lombardi Trophy.
However, losing a third game in the first five weeks would put those plans in serious jeopardy. The Patriots have been devastating with home-field advantage come January, but having that luxury again would require serious help or a huge run. The Pittsburgh Steelers are already 3-1, while the Chiefs, who already beat the Patriots and therefore own the tiebreaker, are the NFL’s only 4-0 team.
In other words, the margin of error at this point is nil.
