Despite being in the midst of a major rebuild, which has arguably been underway for over five years, the Patriots had high expectations going into this season for several reasons, the biggest of which was the addition of Mike Vrabel as the team's new head coach. His presence, along with Josh McDaniels and several opportunistic factors to improve the roster, had some suggesting New England could be a sneaky playoff team, with an easy schedule making that more plausible.
The new regime appeared to do its job in drastically making over the roster with some big-name signings and an impressive draft, but that hasn't exactly translated to their performance on the field just yet.
They go into their Week 4 matchup with the Panthers sitting with a 1-2 record and hope to turn things around with their first home win of the season this Sunday. Because the Panthers are coming off a statement win over the Falcons last week, concerns are growing about the Patriots' ability to get the job done.
However, despite their under-.500 record, the Patriots have performed a bit better than what is seen on the surface, as they could easily be an undefeated team instead. That was even pointed out by a longtime NFL analyst this week.
The Patriots continue to suffer from self-inflicting wounds to derail their season
While discussing the Patriots' latest loss, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky pointed out that the team has suffered from their own mistakes, which have put them at the bottom of the league, but they are only one or two plays away from having a 3-0 record.
“They should be 3-0. Gave the games away. Both Patriots losses you feel like were self-inflicted wounds are the reason why they lost.”
This is a story as old as time in New England, unfortunately, especially over the last few years, and it remains one of the biggest disappointments of the franchise. It's a big reason why Robert Kraft brought in Mike Vrabel after another failed season in 2024, and it's not off to a great start so far.
But, as Orlovsky pointed out, the season would be interpreted a lot differently if they avoided costly turnovers and the piling up of ill-timed penalties. Not to mention, they have statistically outperformed the teams they have played already, but mistakes continue to put them behind, and they're not a team properly equipped to accomplish a comeback.
They have the chance to turn things around against the Panthers, which will be increasingly important before Week 5 when they face the Bills on the road. Although they're going to be a massive underdog in that matchup, showing they can hang with an AFC powerhouse, which has owned the division since Tom Brady left, would be a significant show of strength and prove they're on the right path.