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The New England Patriots are 2-3, but they haven’t exactly been impressive this season. You could make a strong argument they should’ve won two of the games they lose–especially the now-embarrassing Week-1 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
In any case, there are worse spots to be, just ask the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s a glass half-full take, but this is 2021, and you know there’s a more pessimistic take to explore.
Patriots’ 25-22 Win Over the Texans Described as “Yucky”
Michael Hurley of CBS Boston isn’t optimistic after the Patriots barely knocked off the Texans. He described the win as “yucky.”
Hurley wrote:
That game was yucky. A goal line fumble, a bad pick, a flea flicker touchdown, a defense that let Davis Mills look legit, a 22-9 deficit to one of the saddest organizations going right now in the NFL. Yes, the Patriots won the game, but the Texans deserve equal credit for giving the game away as the Patriots deserve for earning it. If not for the funniest punt goof of the 2020s, and a brutal decision to kick a field goal, and a crumbling lack of confidence across the board for Houston, the Patriots would be in a bad spot coming out of Week 5. But, all of that stuff did happen, and that’s what counts. So they’re 2-3, tied with the Chiefs, albeit only with wins over the Jets (1-4) and Texans (1-4). If we’re being frank here, my plan was to open this column after a blowout Patriots victory by laying out the path to 10 wins that was still alive. Beat the Jets, Falcons, and Jaguars, that gets you to five. Split with the Bills, we’re talking six. Get that win over Miami to split that season series, and you’re at seven wins. From there, you’d have the Cowboys, Panthers, Chargers, Browns, Titans, and Colts. The Patriots would have to go 3-3 in those games to get to 10 wins. Not easy, no, but certainly doable. Or so it seemed. Sunday’s first-half disaster kind of changed things, didn’t it?
While Hurley may be a bit too negative for some Patriots fans, it’s hard to find fault with his logic or concern. New England doesn’t currently look like a team ready to hand a quality squad a loss.
At some point, they’re going to need to turn a corner. Will it be in Week 6?
What’s Next For the Patriots?
The Patriots head back to Gillette Stadium for a stiff test against the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys. If they can somehow come of out of that one with a win–yucky or not–the talk around the team will be a lot more positive.
New England Patriots (2-3) 2021 Regular Season Schedule
- Week 1 – Miami Dolphins 17, New England Patriots 16
- Week 2 – New England Patriots 25, New York Jets 6
- Week 3 – New Orleans Saints 28, New England Patriots 13
- Week 4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New England Patriots 17
- Week 5 – New England Patriots 25, Houston Texans 22
- Week 6 – Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 pm ET – CBS – October 17
- Week 7 – New York Jets at 1pm ET – CBS – October 24
- Week 8 – at Los Angeles Chargers at 4:05 pm ET – CBS – October 31
- Week 9 – at Carolina Panthers at 1 pm ET – CBS – November 7
- Week 10 – Cleveland Browns at 1 pm ET – CBS – November 14
- Week 11 – at Atlanta Falcons at 8:20 pm ET – FOX/NFL Network/Amazon – November 18
- Week 12 – Tennessee Titans at 1 pm ET – CBS – November 28
- Week 13 – at Buffalo Bills at 8:15 pm ET – ESPN – December 6
- Week 14 – Bye Week
- Week 15 – at Indianapolis Colts Time TBA – December 18
- Week 16 – Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 2
- Week 17 – at Miami Dolphins at 1 pm ET – CBS – January 9
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Patriots Criticized For ‘Yucky’ Win