Should the Patriots panic over team's first 0-2 start since 2001?
With a 24-17 loss on "Sunday Night Football" to the division rival Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2001. The losses, by a combined total of 12 points and both at home, have come down to the final minute of each game.
The Patriots easily could be 2-0, but as Pro Football of Famer Bill Parcells often said, "You are what your record says you are."
"I know it looks bad when you start [0-2], but this is not a bad team, so don't get to asking those type of questions," outside linebacker Matthew Judon said, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "I don't think we're about to hang our heads in that locker room."
What has gone wrong and when is it time to panic? Let's start with third-year QB Mac Jones.
After averaging 7.3 yards per passing attempt during his stellar rookie season and 6.8 in 2022, Jones' YPG has fallen to 5.6 in 2023. Yes, this season is a small sample size, but it's a worrisome trend.
In two games against the Dolphins last season, Jones averaged 7.9 yards per attempt.
The Patriots have only produced 164 yards rushing and played from behind in the second half of each game. That puts Jones under pressure to make plays with his arm. A leaky offensive line, however, hasn't given him much time to throw, forcing him into quick reads.
Before the game against the Dolphins, offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien called Jones a "smart decision maker" who studies hard. O'Brien said that he is confident in the young QB's ability to improve.
The trust goes both ways. Jones said that he and O'Brien are on the same page on how to run the offense.
The last time the Patriots started 0-2 was in 2001, the season Tom Brady led the team to a Super Bowl title. Jones isn't close to Brady's level, but head coach Bill Belichick knows how to turn a season around. History, however, seems against the Patriots.
Per ESPN Stats & Information, only 31 of 270 teams that began a season 0-2 qualified for the postseason. (The 17-game schedule, implemented in 2021, allows for more margin of error.)
Per ESPN's Bill Barnwell, an 0-3 start spells doom for a team's playoff chances. Since 2002, 99 teams have started 0-3. (Of those teams, the only one to make the postseason was the 2018 Texans.)
If the Patriots lose to the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., New England could be in for a long, dreary winter.
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