Patriots set franchise record in Week 3 vs. Jets, but not a good one

Expectations for the Patriots 2024 season were predominantly at the lowest level possible, with most believing they would be lucky to win more games than last year. This was due to all the changes the organization underwent during the offseason, with the most noteworthy being moving on from Bill Belichick and hiring Jerod Mayo to succeed him.

Their offseason didn't increase optimism much, either, and for the most part, analysts and fans widely accepted that this was going to be a rebuilding year. So if things were slow and not a lot of winning was done, optimism would only go up from there.

Some of that changed after the Patriots seemingly miraculously beat the Bengals in Week 1, a win that not a single person predicted. This win prompted the belief that they could follow up that performance against the Seahawks in the following game.

That didn't happen, which brought the expectations back to where they were in the preseason as they prepared for their first divisional game of the year against the Jets on Thursday Night Football.

Although there wasn't much hope that they would fare well this season, their beyond-poor performance against New York was difficult to fathom, as even the defense wasn't able to remain dominant in the wake of the offense's struggles.

It was such a poor performance that it ironically broke a franchise record. Unfortunately, given how the game transpired, it's not a record any team would want to revive or break.

If we thought the 2023 Patriots team were bad, the 2024 team just lowered the bar

It was a disappointing showing by a team that looked like a (mostly) well-rounded roster against a perennial Super Bowl contender in the AFC in Week 1. They still had their struggles, like the offensive line, but it didn't look like anything that couldn't be improved as the season progressed.

Some of that fell apart the following week and ultimately blew up against the Jets in Week 3.

There were certainly questions about the state of the offense, including the quarterback, since the lack of wide receiver usage was jarring. But it didn't seem as bad as it was, which looks even worse in writing.

The Patriots were not a good team last year, which led to Mac Jones being traded in the offseason, and there are still a lot of issues the offense is trying to iron out this year. But their lackluster performance through the first three games puts them in the top 4 for the fewest passing yards during the Super Bowl era in franchise history, a record you hope never to replicate.

A new head coach, entire coaching staff (including offensive coordinator), and quarterback meant that growing pains might lead to unfortunate games. However, the Patriots' performance against the Jets was not what was expected.

It is difficult to believe they can improve this year and win more games, especially when the entire team appears to need improvement.

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