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Patriots’ week five win could be turning point for season

By Lou Scataglia

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 29: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots celebrates after rushing the ball in for a third quarter touchdown against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on August 29, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 29: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots celebrates after rushing the ball in for a third quarter touchdown against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on August 29, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots’ win in week five could serve as a massive turning point for the team as they progress through the 2022 season.  Most of the time, a team that is on their third string quarterback is likely not going to see much success.  For the Patriots, the complete opposite happened.

It was perfect timing for the defense to play their best game of the season.  They shut the door on the Detroit Lions in week five, holding them to exactly zero points and scoring a defensive touchdown.  The Patriots’ defense literally score more points than the Lions’ offense last Sunday.

Not only that, the offense looked alive.  Sure, the Lions’ defense is bad, but good teams take care of the bad teams, right?  The Patriots offense did exactly what they should have.  They gashed the Lions on the ground, as Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a career high 161 yards, and were effective through the air.

Bailey Zappe went 17/21 on the day, which is an excellent completion percentage, and if it wasn’t for Nelson Agholor not hauling in a pass that hit him in the hands, Zappe would barely have a blemish in the box score.

This win was arguably their most impressive in the post-Brady era, and it can serve as a turning point for the rest of the season, or at least until the bye week.  Their next matchup has them traveling to Cleveland to face the Browns.  I see two major advantages here, which are the Patriots’ defense against Jacoby Brissett, and the Patriots’ running game against the Browns’ rush defense, which isn’t good.

After that, they get the Chicago Bears on Monday night football, which isn’t exactly going to be a tough ask.  They then finish with the Jets at home and the Colts on the road before their bye week.   With four games remaining until then, could the team make it a 3-1 finish?  That would put them at 5-4 on the season, which would be firmly in the Wild Card race.  Their second half schedule is brutal, so if the Patriots can somehow get to 6-3 before the bye week, they’ll have a bit more cushion with their record.

The point is that the team has some very winnable games left on their schedule before the bye week, and their week five victory can serve as a nice turning point the rest of the way.

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