Midseason review: Patriots are pretty much the team that we thought they would be
BOSTON -- The New England Patriots are enjoying their bye week, and they're kind of exactly what we expected them to be this season.
New England sits at 5-4, firmly planted in the middle class of the AFC. They might make the playoffs. They might not. Either way, they're a miracle or two away from Super Bowl contention.
So, again, pretty much what we expected from the 2022 New England Patriots.
Offensively, the Patriots are not very good. They rank 26th in the NFL in yards. In a league of just 32 teams, that's not what you're looking for.
Mac Jones missed time due to injury, but he hasn't been very good during his time on the field. He ranks 32nd in passer rating and has just four touchdown passes to seven interceptions. There have been many more mistakes than good plays out of Mac.
Uncharacteristically, the Patriots are actually tied for the NFL lead in turnovers with 17 in their first nine games. That is something that's never been tolerated in the Bill Belichick era, so it has been particularly shocking to see.
All spring and throughout the summer, everyone wondered what the offense would look like with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the show. The results thus far have aligned with the expectations. If the coaching staff can't fix the offensive line -- which has allowed 22 sacks this season, tied for 10th-most in the NFL -- then the offense won't go anywhere over the season's final two months.
Fortunately for the Patriots, football involves more than just offense. And the Patriots have been fairly excellent on defense and special teams.
Defensively, the Patriots are allowing just 18.4 points per game, which is sixth-best in the NFL. They've offset those 17 turnovers by the offense by forcing 17 turnovers on defense. That includes 11 interceptions -- led by two apiece by Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, rookie Jack Jones, and veteran Devin McCourty -- which is something nobody really saw coming after losing J.C. Jackson and Stephon Gilmore in the past year.
On special teams, kicker Nick Folk has once again been an MVP of sorts for the Patriots. He's successfully kicked 19 of his 21 field goals, while going a perfect 20-for-20 on PATs. He's scored the third-most points in the NFL with 77, just two points behind the league leaders (Baltimore's Justin Tucker and Seattle's Jason Myers).
For the third season in a row, we're left to wonder where the Patriots would be without Nick Folk. That's probably not the best sign for the team's overall outlook.
But the Patriots are right in the thick of the playoff race. Whether or not they stay there will be determined pretty quickly.
After the bye, the Patriots will host the Jets, who are 6-3 and riding high off their victory over the Bills in Week 9. Those Jets will be seeking some revenge for their loss to the Patriots in Week 8, so this will be no easy win for New England.
After that, the Pats will head to Minnesota, where they have to face the Vikings on Thanksgiving night. The Vikings currently have the second-best record in the NFL at 7-1, and facing them on the road on a short week will be no picnic.
Then it will be a Thursday night home game for the Patriots against Buffalo. We all know what the Bills were able to do in their final two games against the Patriots last season, plus in their prime-time trip to Gillette Stadium in 2020. Week 13 officially registers as a scary one for the Patriots. (Though Josh Allen's elbow situation could change some of that.)
If the Patriots can win at least one of those three games out of the bye, then they'll remain in the playoff mix. If they lose all three, then it'll likely be a long December in New England.
All we know for now is that the Patriots are in control of where their season goes. We also know that through the ups and downs, they've been fairly compelling. The next three weeks will determine whether that will continue into the new year.
