Patriots Struggles Continue

The New England Patriots are starting to look like an average football team. After starting the season 6-2, the Pats have lost 3 of their last 4 and are in jeopardy of not making the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year.

One of the most telling stats regarding the 2009 Patriots is their road record. They are officially 1-5 thus far in road contests with the sole victory coming over-seas against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in England. This is very uncharacteristic for a New England team in the Belichick era. Over the past 3 seasons, the Patriots have won 21 regular season road games (average 7 per season).

It is rather obvious that the defensive side of the ball is where New England is having most of their problems. They have allowed an average of 27 points over their last 4 games. The youth movement that they have across the board on “D” is clearly showing signs of “hitting the wall”. They will need to win at least 3 of their last 4 to stay out in front in the AFC East. The only reason they still have a lead in their division is due to the inexperience of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, and the inconsistency of Miami’s “wildcat” offense.

There is more bad news for New England this week as QB Tom Brady is listed as questionable for their game against Carolina. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer has a total of 79 yards passing in his NFL career. While he may have a wide variety of options to go to on offense, he will certainly be a significant downgrade from the 3 time Super Bowl champ Brady.

The next few weeks will show what this team is really made of, but as we have learned in the past, Bill Belichick has a way with getting the most out of his players.

Related posts:

1. Dolphins vs. Patriots, New Cast Members Join Brady Bunch
2. 2010 NFL Predictions: New England Patriots
3. Patriots & Bengals bang heads in week 1 Showdown
4. Steelers host Patriots in Battle of AFC Elite
5. Patriots take on 2-0 Bills in AFC East Battle

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