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Patriots: 3 people who need to be held responsible for near-debacle vs Texans

By Thomas Carannante

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 19: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 35-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 19: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 35-0. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Steve Belichick of the New England Patriots (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Steve Belichick of the New England Patriots (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. Steve Belichick

OK, talk about the Patriots’ defense against Brady and the Bucs all you want. It was pouring rain, the Bucs dropped a few big passes, and Brady missed more because of the conditions. Even with all of that, the Patriots still lost.

On Sunday, they allowed 312 passing yards to rookie quarterback Davis Mills. The defense missed tackles, didn’t really start applying pressure until later in the game, and the secondary was cooked when Mills was throwing down the field for an overwhelming majority of this one.

And this really isn’t anything new. The defense showed its cracks last year (though the unit lost players to free agency and opt outs).

Now, they got new faces from free agency and returning opt outs, and our minds haven’t been changed.

What is Steve Belichick doing? Why isn’t Bill calling the plays? Or is he? With a rookie quarterback under center, the defense really needs to be nails. Mac Jones’ debut season can’t be defined by him carrying the team on his back. That’ll likely hurt his development.

Sunday was an entirely different issue, which is even more concerning. Against the Dolphins and Saints, the defense couldn’t get timely stops with the game in reach. This time, they got timely stops, but only after putting the team in a massive hole. The Pats allowed a 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive that lasted over 10 minutes to start the game and were gashed for the remainder of the first half after that.

Something is wrong on the defensive side of the ball, and it needs to be snuffed out. And because Steve Belichick is the defensive coordinator, that’s where the blame lies at the moment.

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