The New England Patriots may have entered the 2024 season expecting to take a few losses on the chin, but the constant losing has felt alien to this franchise. Owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft are already fed up with another season at the bottom of the standings.
The Patriots were bowled over by a motivated Arizona Cardinals team in their return from the bye week, which isn't going to placate a fanbase that is already out of the honeymoon phase with head coach Jerod Mayo. The emergence of Drake Maye has sped up the timeline.
With Maye looking like a solid starter already, many are upset with Mayo and his offensive coaching staff for being unable to take Maye's production to the next level and bring the Patriots to a few extra wins. The frustration is percolating over to ownership, who were upset with how the team played in Arizona.
Cameras caught the Krafts in mutual displeasure with something that happened in what has been a first half dominated by the Cardinals. Kraft was even seen scribbling some notes down on a piece of paper. Could be collecting data on possibly making some high-level changes in the offseason?
Robert Kraft, Jonathan Kraft caught being openly frustrated with Patriots play
Mayo won just two games since his surprising upset win over the Bengals to begin the year. However, many of those losses are close, especially after Jacoby Brissett was benched and Maye was inserted into the starting lineup. New coordinators Alex Van Pelt and DeMarcus Covington have earned mixed results.
While Maye has looked good, the Patriots are still 31st in scoring. Their defense has some solid players on it, but they have taken a step back from the last season of the Bill Belichick era. Between that and some odd quotes in the media, some fans seem to be over Mayo already.
However, this roster may be near the bottom of the league in terms of overall raw talent. The Patriots were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL in the preseason. Considering they've been in so many close games while Maye looks better than some may have expected in this environment, is Mayo exceeding expectations in some areas?
Given how unnaturally successful Belichick was, it remains to be seen just how much rope the Patriots will give their new head coach. No matter what they decide, it is clear that ownership is not having a good time right now.