COVID-19 has been an on-going problem for the Patriots, and have impacted their time at the facility for over two weeks. But, none-the-less, practice time and time at the facility should not be an excuse for a Bill Belichick coached team.
The Denver Broncos were coming into Gillette Stadium with a 1-3 record, with their lone victory coming against the Jets. They were even without two playmakers on offense in Melvin Gordon and Noah Fant. On top of that, the Patriots were getting Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore back off of the COVID/RESERVE list. This game seemed like it would be an easy layup for the Patriots, but Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos had other plans.
The Broncos defense completely shut down Cam Newton and the Patriots offense and held them to a mere 12 points. Cam Newton struggled all day long. His throws were not accurate, and he struggled to get the offense going. Newton finished the day with a QB Rating of 51.6, which was a season-low. He was 17/25 for 157 yards, with 2 interceptions. Newton was also sacked 4 times.
Newton was critical of himself on his weekly appearance on WEEI this morning:
“I just have to be better, and I can’t stress that enough moving forward. The anticipation was off. I think that was the biggest discrepancy in not having practice.”
The Patriots skill players continued to struggle as Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry combined for 2 receptions on 8 targets. The Patriots receivers only had a combined 6 receptions. Tight end Ryan Izzo had a costly fumble, that ended a promising drive. Damian Harris only had 19 rushing yards on 6 carries. Patriots running backs only had 41 rushing yards combined.
The Patriots day on defense could be categorized as mediocre, and if anything an underachievement based on the opponent. Allowing 18 points is usually good enough, but this time it wasn’t. Broncos quarterback Drew Lock did not play particularly well, as he tossed 2 ugly interceptions, and had a under 50% completion %.
But, the Broncos offense did not punt until the 4th quarter. Each drive until then, the Broncos registered field goals. Broncos kicker, Brandon McManus was 6/6 on field goals. The Patriots defense allowed running back Philip Lindsey to run for over 100 yards, and allowed wide receiver Tim Patrick to have over 100 receiving yards.
So, how did the great Bill Belichick allow Vic Fangio and the Denver Broncos to outplay the Patriots on both sides of the ball?
Sure, you can blame the lack of practice time, or the injuries, and musical chairs on the offense line. But, the reality is that the Patriots are now 2-3, and sit in 3rd place in the AFC East.
Bill Belichick seemingly blames all of the above in his press conference after the game:
“Well, it was a big challenge. Playing without guys, getting guys hurt, moving around, had some guys that [haven’t] played together much, hadn’t practiced together much.”
Bill Belichick has dealt with a lot of adversity in his career, but this is the latest in the season that he’s had a losing record since 2002.
Next week the Patriots have another big challenge, as they take on Jimmy Garoppolo and the defending NFC Champion 49ers.
