The Pats as of Week 3
After the first two squeakers it wasn’t too surprising that Denver beat the Patriots at home. What was surprising was the lack of intensity on offense. Giving up 17 points to a good team isn’t that bad, but Brady looked completely out of sorts except on the one scoring drive. Not just his performance, his body language and everything – he looked beaten before he took the first snap. Maybe it’s just the memory of the last game. Hopefully it won’t last and this game will be the wake-up call he needs.
There were some positives, though. Doug Gabriel showed he can be a valuable addition to the team. He made some great catches, including a great grab for the only touchdown. Reche Caldwell also made some great receptions, he’s starting to show what he’s capable of. And, of course, Troy Brown was his usual dependable self. Belichick coaches his teams to peak around November and they’re on track to do that. They’re still the strongest team in the AFC East (the Dolphins were predicted to be that power, but they’re 1-and-2 … ooops) which means they’ll probably make it to the playoffs. And once they’re in, they’re dangerous and everyone knows it.
But this team is building. They have a whole new receiver corps, a new running back, new tight ends … just a lot of new people. Some who’ve only been with the team a couple of weeks. Oh, and new coordinators on offense and defense. And this is only week three. The press I’m sure will signal the end of “The Dynasty” … let them. Let everyone write off the Patriots. Just watch out in December, though. And compared to what some other teams around the league are going through, a few weeks of “growing pains” aren’t so bad.
The other good news today was that the Steelers lost to Cincinatti. It’s interesting to watch the reactions. When the Pats lose, they know why. The Steelers have the look of “Wha hoppen?” … they are surpised that they’re losing. Given that they barely made the playoffs last year and some of the other circumstances leading to their “victory” (read: the NFL officials) they shouldn’t be. They’ve lost Bettis and frankly, Big Ben’s decision making rating sucks and always has. They succeeded last year by managing that.
The Steelers get a week off, and then fly to San Diego to play the thus-far undefeated Chargers. If they lose that, they’re 1-and-3 coming home to face the Chiefs. Having the Steelers not in the playoffs is good news for every other team as that means fewer players will have season-ending injuries.
The next few weeks will be interesting. Some teams will likely slip off the radar. The Buc’s are 0-and-3. A couple more losses and they become a non-factor. Dallas is 1-and-1 and struggling. Some pundits picked them to get to the Superbowl this year. Three words: not gonna happen.
And, of course, the Pats have some tough games. Cinci next week on the road and then Miami at home. The Miami game is the more important as the Patriots have to win their division. They’re not strong enough (yet) to risk the Wild Card. But beating the Bengals is important too – that keeps them from dropping to 2-and-2 and a win would signal to the league that they’re “not dead yet.”
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