In an environment which most any visiting team would have no chance to win, credit the Patriots for hanging around until late in the fourth quarter.

If the Patriots made a laundry list of New Year’s resolutions, they perhaps checked a few boxes on Sunday.

The Patriots are 7-8 and do not look like a playoff team, whether or not they actually do make the playoffs. The Patriots no longer have control of their own destiny, and maybe the young players need a closer look.

The Patriots were left with rookie running backs Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, and each player scored his first NFL rushing touchdown in the game.

If the fact that the Patriots actually forced the Buffalo Bills into three punts is the only real positive of the game, you more or less have to shake your head and wonder how far this team has dropped off the playoff contender map.

Kirk Cousins threw for nearly 300 yards and was sacked only once. Justin Jefferson had to be the main shutdown target, and he lit up the Patriots instead.

The only way the Patriots were going to win on Sunday was going to be on a defensive touchdown or a special teams touchdown. Offense? Good gracious.

The Patriots gained only 203 yards of total offense, Mac Jones was sacked four times, and Nick Folk kicked four field goals for the second straight week. In the end, that was plenty to overcome the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears excelled in all phases of the game, and took advantage of a flat Patriot team who started the wrong quarterback and never really overcame their awful start.

The Patriots came into baseball-crazy Cleveland and laid a 38-15 pasting on the hometown Browns. The visitors evened their season record at 3-3 as they continue to have success during the soft portion of their 2022 schedule.

The Patriot defense took advantage of a flustered Detroit offense and played the bend-but-don’t-break defense to perfection.

Your record says who you are. Usually.
The Patriots stand at 1-3 after four weeks, which is better than the 0-4 many experts predicted (or feared).

For the second straight week, there was a fourth quarter meltdown in a Baltimore Ravens game.

After looking like meek division tailenders last week at Miami, the Patriots came into hostile territory and emerged victorious.

Some experts believe that the 2022 Patriots might begin the season 0-4, and Sunday’s game at Miami did nothing to dispel that thought.