new england patriots

Ever since 2007 I haven’t had a problem getting over Patriots regular season losses. If there’s one thing that 16-0 taught me, it’s that losses can be a good thing for a football team in the long term. It’s about growing as a team, learning from your mistakes, and putting together a string of 3-4 great games in January and February. I think most Pats fans are probably with me.

And you would think after a last second, nail biter loss in week three to a divisional rival, a game that the Pats could’ve won, that Patriots nation wouldn’t be too depressed. However even diehard homers like me are finding ourselves still frustrated this morning. The Patriots again looked like the frontrunners that they were in 2009 and 2010.

Yes it’s just week three. And yes we’ll see the Bills again. And yes, even the Jets lost yesterday. But the problem is that yesterday’s loss summed up everything Patriots fans have grown to hate about the Patriots over the past few seasons. Problems we thought were gone, or at least on the way to being improved upon, were back and uglier than ever.

Offensively I don’t think anyone is too worried. It’s been too long since Brady had a day like yesterday and those days are bound to happen. Could they have ran the ball more? Sure. But take away Brady’s picks and it’s hard not to feel like the offense will be fine, especially once Hernando comes back.

It’s the other side of the ball that has most of us at a loss. It seemed like this was the off-season the Pats were going to fix the defense, and while they’ve been hit hard with injuries, the biggest question surrounding them remains: When will the defense be able to take over games when Brady isn’t at his best?

And I’m not talking about the live by the sword, die by the sword lifestyle of relying on turnovers. Sealing the 2010 Colts game with an interception was exciting and everything, but the D needs to get to a place where they can force a punt.

Hoodie forbid that Pats are ever down by ten and need to get the ball back to the offense for not just one, but two scores to win. Right now that seems like a task this Patriots defense would not be up for.

Ever since the second half of the 2006 AFC Championship game the Patriots defense have had multiple second half meltdowns, and the inability to get a stop when they need one most. 2009 was the most egregious season of this problem, and this game against the Bills was a vintage 2009 flashback.

As we said all off-season the Patriots would not be able to rely on the wealth of turnovers they got in 2010. They’d have to make up for it by pressuring the quarterback. But through three games, and despite all the changes of scheme and personnel this past off-season, the defense looks frighteningly similar to last year.

Again, injuries have to be taken into account, and none are bigger than losing both interior pass rushers for the second straight season. Mike Wright could be back at some point, but who knows when that could be.

I don’t think it was all bad. They did force three three-and-outs in the second half, but it’s the utter lack of anything “clutch” that makes this defense so frustrating. They have some ball hawks, but so far in 2011 it hasn’t been enough to cover up poor technique and poor tackling.

I try not to make any definitive judgements about our football team before week four, but the Patriots defense has a lot to prove to me against the Raiders.