I think we’ve all said things in our lives we wish we could take back. Maybe you commented on someone looking pregnant only to find out they weren’t. Maybe you inadvertently offended someone’s deceased relative. Maybe you once told a painfully tired parent how your hamster also has a hard time listening and going to bed on time.
Or, you may have just picked the Patriots to win the AFC East before the 2023 season and acted like a smug jackass about it. If you did that last thing, let me know because so far I think I’m the only one.
New England was roundly destroyed 34–0 by the Saints on Sunday. This, a week after the Patriots were roundly destroyed 38–3 by the Cowboys. While it’s hard to predict exactly what will be extrapolated from this—is it a week where we incorrectly predict the demise of Bill Belichick or the necessary ouster of his quarterback?—the truth is that something is irreparably broken with the Patriots. Of course, having a top cornerback and pass rusher both out with injuries, especially with that defense, doesn’t help. But the Patriots have made a living over the past two decades by either defining the curve, or at least staying pleasantly ahead of it. Even as the post–Tom Brady losses started to pile up, there was evidence that the grist of the dynasty was still in there, somewhere. The Patriots may not have been winning games at the same clip, but they were an absolute pain in the neck to face off against each week.
