Getty New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
One New England Patriots alumni didn’t handle the team’s 47-17 Wild Card defeat to the Buffalo Bills very well. The misery seemed to be shared by every member of Patriots Nation.
Patriots legend Julian Edelman was feeling New England fans’ pain after the loss. He was very active on Twitter and he retweeted this post from Barstool Sports aimed at illustrating the sadness many Patriots fans were experiencing after watching their team take a beating from their division rivals.
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Edelman doesn’t appear to be pouring salt in the wounds. He seems to share the pain of Patriots fans who were compelled to watch the Bills dismantle New England. Here are a few of Edelman’s other tweets during and after the blowout loss.
The Patriots Failed in 3 Key Areas
Slow starts have been the death of the Patriots throughout the 2021 season, and that was again the case on Saturday, January 15. After a dynamic interception in the end zone by the Bills’ Micah Hyde killed an impressive opening drive orchestrated by Mac Jones, New England’s chances of getting on the board early were gone.
The Patriots were 2-6 this season in games they didn’t score in the first quarter. After Saturday night, you can run that abysmal mark to 2-7.
New England also failed to take care of the football, with Jones throwing two interceptions. The Patriots hadn’t had much luck overcoming multiple turnovers in a game this season and Saturday was no exception.
Lastly, the way the team trailed throughout the game somewhat killed the Patriots’ commitment to the run game. They did run it 20 times, but for only 89 yards and no touchdowns. That’s about 35 yards or so short of what has been a sweet spot for the Patriots.
When the team eclipsed 125 yards on the ground, they were 8-3 this season. Obviously, that didn’t happen on Saturday night and the Patriots’ season is over.
An Optimistic Look at the Patriots’ 2021 Season
While the end of the Patriots’ season is cause for sadness for fans of the team, and the lopsided defeat at the hands of the hated Bills only makes things tougher to swallow for Pats Nation, there is a bigger picture to consider.
The Patriots’ roster was rebuilt into a playoff team in just one season. While there are some question marks at multiple parts of the roster, New England has some promising young players for which to build around in Jones, Rhamondre Stevenson, Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Christian Barmore and perhaps JC Jackson if he is franchise tagged or signed to a new deal.
It may not feel like it right now, but the future is bright for the Patriots.
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